Gorno-Altaysk International Airport conducted its first emergency aircraft evacuation exercise using a new set of equipment. A training mock-up of a Yak-40 weighing about 12 tons was used for the training, and the scenario involved the aircraft rolling off the runway with the main left landing gear strut broken.
The main task was to return the aircraft to its landing gear without using conventional lifting equipment. For this, specialists used 14 emergency pneumatic fabric lifters (APTP). They lifted the aircraft's wing sections, after which the damaged strut was returned to its working position and the mock-up was placed on its landing gear.
The next stage was towing. Specialists installed a set of slings on the aircraft's struts and connected it to an airfield tug. After that, the mock-up was moved from the airfield to the parking area. The entire operation — from the arrival of the crews to the end of towing — took about an hour and a half, including equipment setup and connection checks.
The airport reported that the new kit also includes a compressor, distribution stations, and a towing system with load control. The compressor supplies compressed air to the distribution stations, which control the pressure in individual pneumatic fabric lifters.
The airport plans to conduct such training twice a year — in the autumn-winter and spring-summer periods. This will allow regular practice of personnel actions during aircraft evacuation using new equipment.