BEVERLY — Emergency responders from four communities put out fires, rescued victims and dealt with a few surprises yesterday during a simulated plane crash at Beverly Airport.

The training exercise mimicked a crash landing on a runway, though two cars, spaced about 100 feet apart, had to be used to represent the cabin and cockpit of the plane. A junk plane couldn't be found for the drill, said Paul Vitale, chairman of the Airport Commission.

Police, fire and ambulance crews from Beverly, Danvers, Hamilton and Wenham arrived at the scene moments after the car that doubled as the cabin was set on fire. They had it out in minutes.

Farther down the runway, two volunteer victims lay on the ground by the cabin awaiting medical attention. Emergency workers were expecting dummies, not live people.

"We threw them a couple curveballs," Vitale said.

They also used the Jaws of Life to remove the pilot — this time it was a dummy — from the "cockpit," a car.

After he was out, that car also burst into flames — another surprise, Vitale said.

Representatives from state and federal agencies inspected the scene once rescue workers secured the airport, and then turned it over to Beverly Airport for cleanup. Afterward, they all met to critique their response.

"It went fabulous," Vitale said.

The drill is not required for small airports, but Vitale said it's helpful to improve safety. In the event of a real crash, he said, he wants everyone to know what to expect and how to respond.

"This is only the beginning of something that's going to be permanent," he said.

They plan to look at ways to improve and incorporate them into future planning and training exercises. Some areas they plan to focus on include:

Location: If a plane reports a problem approaching runway 27, its important for police and fire departments to know how to get there. The runways and taxiways are easy to point out on a map but can be slightly more difficult to navigate from the ground. He wants to make sure all responders know the lay of the land.

Internal communication: "Communications went really well," Vitale said. "But we will be building on that." He said he wants work with the police and fire departments to find out what information they need from the airport that can help them do their jobs better.

External communication: They plan to establish a media command center, where information about any disaster will be distributed to the press and public. It will also be a gathering place for families and friends of victims.

Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salemnews.com.