The Airport Authority conducted Skydrill 2007, a full-scale exercise to practice its response to a major aircraft accident, on Saturday, March 24. The drill was held in coordination with Wake County and Durham County Emergency Management. The Federal Aviation Administration requires major airports to hold full scale emergency exercises every three years.

The drill simulated an aircraft accident involving a Boeing 737-800 with 80 people on board. The emergency exercise is designed to test all procedures, communications and responses in the event of a major aircraft accident at the airport. The drill also allows all participating agencies to practice their emergency plans and to ensure compatibility, increase coordination and demonstrate readiness.

More than 25 emergency services and law enforcement agencies from Wake and Durham Counties participated in the drill under a mutual aid agreement with the airport.
Over 200 police, fire and emergency workers, as well as 100 volunteers participated in the exercise. Support equipment and personnel from Wake County, Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville and Garner participated in the drill.

Learn more about airport initiatives, passenger activity and major construction projects in RDU’s 2006 annual report.

Available in two versions:  8.8 MB Interactive PDF features animation and videos on major RDU events in 2006. For a smaller file with just text and photos, select this 1.4 MB Interactive PDF.

We also store archived versions of our annual reports online for the traveling public to see the progress we have made over the years.