MANCHESTER Airport bosses say 'lessons will be learned' after staging a mock crash to test how staff react in an emergency.

The crash scenario involved a jumbo jet cargo flight packed with race horses landing in a field close to the runway this afternoon.

The pretend drama assumed the aircraft broke up on impact and burst into flames while fuel spilled into a local brook.

Real passengers watched from the terminals and from flights landing and taking off as a £1.5m training rig near runway one was set on fire.

They were quickly told the drama they could see unfolding was only a test although a dramatic one.

Airport firefighters and police 'rescued' the flight crew and horses - represented by dummies - from the 'Cathy Pacific' flight. Real Journalists were invited to take part in the test, called Exercise Icarus, to make the event as realistic as possible.

And real passengers and communities surrounding the airport had been warned in advance about the annual drill, which is a requirement of the Civil Aviation Authority. Some 50 airport staff took part in the test although flights landed and took off as normal during the exercise.

Worthwhile

And it proved a worthwhile event, both for the fictional crew who were rescued and the staff who took part.

For the record, one horse died during the mock-up but all the flight crew and the grooms looking after the race-horses survived.

Airport bosses say the exercise will help staff improve in the event of a real crash drama.

Spokesman Russell Craig said: "This is a major, statutory emergency exercise and a full test of all aspects of airport operations using an untried scenario. It went to plan but there will be lessons for us to learn as there are after all exercises like this.

"We used a £1.5m state-of-art training rig. It's the only one of its kind in the country which is made up of different bits from different aircraft.

"There were real flames and smoke but we have written in advance to the communities around the airport to let them know it wasn't for real.

"But it certainly was a useful exercise for us."

The CAA, which licenses all airports, requires they test emergency procedures regularly.