Post Crash Management Exercise

Beauvechain 19 April 2010

In view of the upcoming International Air Show which will take place at Beauvechain on 3 and 4 July 2010, a Post Crash Management (PCM)

exercise was organised by Comopsair at this airbase to evaluate, correct and adapt all safety and security procedures in the (unlikely)

event that an aircraft is to crash during this major public event.  A worst case scenario staged for the exercise involved engine failure

during the official Belgian Air Force F-16 demo presentation flown by Cdt. Michel “Mitch” Beulen.  As the anomaly occurred during a

 barrel roll the pilot almost immediately lost control of his aircraft and used his ejections seat. Unfortunately the pilot did not survive

this ejection and the aircraft crashed onto the RAPCON (radar approach control) situated near the main runway. Several persons

operational at the RAPCON were injured, while some were trapped inside their building. Fortunately no-one of the thousands of

visitors were harmed as international safety procedures mainly involving distance to the public were respected.  As usual during

main public events help was on hand on the base and even the fire brigade of nearby Jodoigne was on stand by at Beauvechain.

Within minutes of the accident medical services were in full swing to attend the injured.   Fortunately this was of course all staged in

a very  realistic way by a large number of players allowing evaluators to observe in detail the course of the events and see how personnel

was reacting on sometimes very unexpected situations.

Fire fighters in action immediately after the crash

The fire was put out but the wreckage is still smoking.

A fire fighter is attending a burned member of the RAPCON personnel

The unfortunate pilot, luckily it's only a dummy....

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