- The aircraft’s tires are tightly lodged in the coral, underwater footage shows
- The US Navy’s P-8A intelligence plane overshot runway and crashed in the ocean
- All nine people on board survived the crash but were forced to swim to shore
A massive military intelligence aircraft finds itself stuck on a reef in a Hawaii Bay after it overshot a runway at a Marine base in Hawaii and crashed into the ocean last week.
The U.S. Navy released underwater footage on Wednesday, revealing the plane’s tires lodged in the coral as fish navigate through rock fissures.
The video provides a glimpse of the aftermath of the crash that occurred last week when the U.S. Navy P-8A plane missed its mark while attempting to land at a U.S. Marines base, located ten miles from Honolulu, on October 20.
Nine people on board were forced to swim back to shore after smashing into the sea in the rainy weather. None of them were physically harmed.
The recently released video ‘depicts the two points of contact the aircraft has with the coral and the remainder of the aircraft floating above,’ authorities said.
The US Navy P-8A plane landed in shallow water offshore of Marine Corps Base ten miles away from Honolulu after it missed mark on October 20.
On Sunday, a Navy team removed ‘just about all’ of the estimated 2,000 gallons of fuel on the plane, Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox said.
No fuel was leaked Into Kaneohe Bay as state officials monitored the defueling, Lenox confirmed.
The crash damaged some coral, but has done limited harm to the area, which is a ‘critical ecosystem and a cherished part of the local community,’ Lenox told Honolulu Civil Beat.
The Navy is still investigating what caused the plane to overshoot a runway, and is developing a plan to remove the aircraft.
The salvage plan will prioritize ‘safety of people, safety of the environment and restoring combat capability of the aircraft,’ the Navy said Wednesday.
Aircraft expert Peter Forman said the runway in Kaneohe is shorter than usual, and bad weather and Kona winds may also have played a part.
‘The pilot probably didn’t put the plane down exactly where he wanted to on the runway,’ he told Hawaii News Now.
‘It’s probably a combination of all those factors put together.’
The P-8A, a Poseidon reconnaissance plane used for intelligence, is manufactured by Boeing and shares many parts with the 737 commercial jet.
Marine Corps Base Kaneohe is home to over 25,000 Marines, sailors, family members and civilian employees.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
