The City of Dallas has released an after-action report on the tragic Wings Over Dallas Airshow accident that occurred over the Dallas Executive Airport last year, identifying several areas for emergency response improvement.
On November 12, six people died after two historic planes collided while performing at an airshow, as reported by The Dallas Express. A preliminary incident report suggested that the accident occurred due to a breakdown in planning and communication.
The primary purpose of the after-action review was initiated to evaluate the response to the incident and identify ways in which procedures could be improved moving forward. The new report was produced by a third party, the Olson Group Ltd. (OGL), after being contracted by the City’s Department of Aviation.
OGL identified four key areas in which the emergency response could have been improved.
First, the Dallas Executive Airport manager and other leaders had not taken advanced Incident Command System (ICS) classes, which would have helped improve the establishment of staging areas, command post control, and facilitating responder transportation.
Second, OGL found that the airport did not have sufficient “staff to support prolonged incident response and recovery operations over multiple operational periods.”
Third, too many “unauthorized visitors were present in the airport emergency command center during the incident,” which “caused overcrowding and interference with emergency operations.”
Lastly, “the hazardous materials, including fuel from the involved aircraft and foam used to extinguish the resulting fires, continued to be mitigated.” The chemicals of concern remain on the site and require additional environmental assessment and remediation.
The third-party review also identified several strengths, noting how “existing relationships and the continuity of senior leadership contributed to a streamlined decision-making process.”
Additionally, “the efficient and effective response to the incident was led by experienced leaders who incorporated lessons learned from pre-event planning and exercises, and adapted best practices from previous airshows.”
Both the Wings Over Dallas Airshow and the City relied upon the Incident Command System, OGL noted, which “provided the much-needed structure to sort out operations in the face of a chaotic incident.”
The after-action report also applauded the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) for providing “family assistance, including grief counseling, safe spaces for loved ones, meals, and other services.”
“Once the victims’ names were leaked through social media, CAF transported family members and loved ones to an undisclosed hotel and away from the media,” the report noted.
OGL also approved of the Dallas Police Department’s use of its drone unit to map and geocode the area “to locate aircraft debris and human remains,” which “allowed for expedited recovery and permitted the reopening of Highway 67 within four hours of the initial incident.”
The report concluded that “the identified findings did not adversely affect the response to this particular incident, but provide a roadmap for the City of Dallas Department of Aviation and its partners to become more resilient and improve mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities for future emergencies.”
Anyone with further questions was directed to contact Patrick Carreno, the interim director of the Department of Aviation.