ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Rochester airport has revised procedures after an incident that delayed emergency crews from responding to a crash a quarter mile outside the airport fence. John Reed, airport director, threw out the old protocols. “We have reviewed our procedures and are removing the need for airport fire rescue staff to gain administrative approval to respond to a crash off airport property,” Reed said. This is what had happened:
> 10:13 p.m. A single-engine Musketeer light plane took off on Runway 13-21.
> 10:15 p.m. The Musketeer pilot radioed the control tower that he had lost power. A controller advised the pilot to return to any runway for an emergency landing. The pilot responded he was going down. The controller: “I’ve got rescue coming to you.” The control tower asked the on-site airport rescue and firefighting crew to begin searching for the plane, advising the crew to leave the airport gate. The crew responded that permission was first needed from airport administration because an American Airlines plane was overnighting at an airport gate and a Delta flight was inbound.
> 10:26 p.m.: A crash witness called 911. Municipal fire crews scrambled from Rochester and Stewartville, both from several miles away.
> 10:30 p.m. Olmsted County sheriff’s officers located the downed plane in woods at the Oak Summit golf course.
Reed said the RST airport rescue crew had followed existing protocol to a T but that the protocol was insufficient.
Reed. In charge at Rochester airport 10 years. Earlier at airports in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Brownsville, Texas.