United Flight 232 benefited greatly from well-trained rescue personnel on the ground who had practiced airplane disaster situations. Across the United States, airplane disaster simulations happen at airports in accordance with FAA regulations. Personnel are required to stage full-scale air disaster drills that include a downed plane, fatalities, fire, and injured personnel. Firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses, hospitals, and numerous other disaster specialists are among those involved in such efforts.

Emergency planners are constantly finding new ways to prepare for worst-case scenarios. A recent drill at the Miramar Marine Corps air station, near San Diego, California, run by the military in cooperation with local emergency personnel, simulated the crash of a military transport KC-130 into a small building. The plane was then said to have come to a stop on the tarmac and exploded, killing and wounding at least seventy-eight people. The military began...