A U.S. navy surveillance plane trying to land at a military base in Hawaii overshot the runway and ended up floating in the waters of Kane’ohe Bay on Monday. The plane is still floating there as of Tuesday morning as it sits on top of a reef in shallow water, according to local media.
Nine navy personnel were on board the aircraft when it crashed into the water, but they were all rescued unharmed. The P-8A Poseidon plane was attempting to land at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in inclement weather when it splashed into the bay.
A photo of the aircraft shows it floating with its wings just above the surface of the water.
Lt. Hailey Harms, deputy director of public affairs for the base, told the New York Times the nine people on board managed to escape the aircraft and pile into an inflatable life raft. The crew had been flying a routine training mission.
Marine Corps spokesperson Gunnery Sgt. Orlando Perez told The Associated Press he had no information about what caused the P-8A aircraft to go off the runway.
It was cloudy and rainy at the time and visibility was only about 1.6 kilometres, said Thomas Vaughan, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu. Broadcast footage and photos of the plane taken later in the day showed it shrouded in fog.
Diane Dircks, a tourist from Illinois visiting Hawaii, said she watched the rescue boats approach the downed aircraft through her daughter’s binoculars.
“We went running over to the end of the dock, and I took some pictures,” she said. “It was unbelievable.”
Aircraft expert Peter Forman told Hawaii News Now the runway at the Kane’ohe base is shorter than normal. He believes the poor weather and windy conditions also played a role in the crash.
“The pilot probably didn’t put the plane down exactly where he wanted to on the runway,” Forman said. “It’s probably a combination of all those factors put together.”
It’s unclear how long it will take to remove the P-8A plane from the bay, leaving some residents concerned about the potential environmental impacts. The aircraft is a comparable size to an Airbus A320, which can seat up to 180 passengers.
“I’m so glad that everyone was rescued and survived the crash,” Kahaluu resident Jonee Kaina told Hawaii News Now. “But I think someone needs to take a look at the impact the plane is doing to our marine life. There is jet fuel, anti-freeze and other toxins.”
The military quickly encircled the crash site with booms to absorb any leaking fuel or chemicals, but did not have an assessment of the environmental damage.
The base sits on Kane’ohe Bay, which is home to coral reefs, a breeding ground for hammerhead sharks and a University of Hawaii marine biology research institute.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii is about 16 kilometres from Honolulu on Oahu. The base houses about 9,300 military personnel and 5,100 family members. It’s one of several key military installations on Oahu.
The P-8A is used by the navy for anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The aircraft is produced by Boeing.
— with files from The Associated Press