Waco Airport Holds Full-Scale Emergency Exercise

Simulated plane crash tests response of airport, first responders, and hospitals

Apr. 15, 2026 at 11:34pm

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A highly stylized, geometric illustration depicting the towering architecture and technical complexity of a modern airport, conveying the scale and importance of emergency preparedness exercises like the one conducted at Waco Regional Airport.A dramatic illustration of Waco Regional Airport's comprehensive emergency preparedness drill, highlighting the technical sophistication and community-wide coordination required to respond effectively to a crisis.Waco Today

The Waco Regional Airport conducted a full-scale emergency exercise on Wednesday, simulating a plane crash on the runway. The goal was to test the preparedness of the airport, first responders, and local hospitals in handling a mass casualty incident as realistically as possible. Dozens of volunteers played injured passengers, and the exercise involved transporting them to nearby medical facilities.

Why it matters

Airports are required by the FAA to conduct these full-scale emergency exercises every three years to ensure they and the surrounding community are ready to respond effectively to a real-world disaster. The training helps identify potential problems and improve coordination between all the agencies involved.

The details

The exercise scenario involved a simulated plane crash on the Waco Regional Airport runway. Airport staff, firefighters, EMS, and other first responders all participated in the drill, treating volunteer 'passengers' with a variety of mock injuries. The volunteers were then transported by ambulance or helicopter to local hospitals, which were also part of the exercise.

  • The full-scale exercise took place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
  • The FAA requires commercial airports to conduct this type of training every three years, so the next exercise will be held in 2029.

The players

Justin Millican

Assistant Airport Director at Waco Regional Airport, who oversaw the planning and execution of the emergency exercise.

Anna Mae Barfield

A volunteer who played an injured passenger during the simulation, drawing on her prior military experience.

Isabella Carruth

A volunteer who participated in the exercise with her service dog Dante, testing how service animals are handled in emergency situations.

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What they’re saying

“It's never going to be perfect but as much stress as we can put into the situation and identify problems now, there's fewer problems that are going to manifest themselves when we actually have a real-world emergency.”

— Justin Millican, Assistant Airport Director

“I saw it on Facebook and thought it sounded like fun so I was like why not. I was actually in the military myself for a little while so just doing something like this seemed fun and helpful.”

— Anna Mae Barfield, Volunteer

“There's still like a huge stigma about how service dogs should be separated, but they are supposed to be transported with their handler if it's possible. This is gonna be perfect for them to see what it's going to be like trying to fit a service dog onto a stretcher and an ambulance and a medical bay.”

— Isabella Carruth, Volunteer with service dog

What’s next

The FAA requires the Waco Regional Airport to conduct this full-scale emergency exercise again in 2029.

The takeaway

Conducting realistic emergency drills is crucial for airports and their surrounding communities to be prepared for potential disasters. The Waco exercise helped identify areas for improvement and strengthened coordination between the airport, first responders, and local hospitals.