Hawaii residents want US Navy aircraft removed from waters over concerns of jet fuel and toxins will destroy marine life after pilot overshot runway and crashed into Kaneohe Bay
A downed Navy plane could remain in a picturesque Hawaiian bay for weeks as fears grow over its impact on the island’s fragile ecosystem.
The $150 million P-8 Poseidon spy plane overshot the runway Monday afternoon during a training exercise at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, coming to rest in the waters of Kaneohe Bay about 50 feet offshore.
All nine people on board managed to swim back to shore, but the 40-metre-long plane suffered a deep gash in the fuselage as it scraped over the coral-lined bay where endangered hammerhead sharks live.
“I’m so glad everyone was rescued and survived the crash,” said Jonee Kaina of the Conservation Council of Hawaii.
‘But I think someone needs to look at the impact the plane is having on our marine life.
“There’s jet fuel, antifreeze and other toxins.”
The $150 million P-8 Poseidon spy plane overshot the runway Monday afternoon during a training exercise at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and came to rest in the waters of Kaneohe Bay about 50 feet offshore.
The bay is a breeding ground for hammerhead sharks and a breeding ground for whale sharks, of which they are among the most endangered species in the world
Jonee Kaina of the Conservation Council of Hawaii has urged marine authorities to expedite its removal as concerns mount about spills of contaminants on board.
The aircraft manufactured by Boeing and based on the 737 of similar size, but used for hunting enemy submarines, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
The splashdown has drawn comparisons to 2009’s “Miracle on the Hudson,” when US Airways pilot Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger managed to dump an Airbus A320 with 155 people on board into the New York River after a bird strike cut off power to all engines had been switched off.
It took authorities two days to retrieve the plane, which was towed about four miles to a pier near the World Financial Center before being taken by barge to New Jersey.
But Sergeant Orlando Perez admitted it could take weeks for the downed Poseidon to recover.
βThe priority is to get it assessed and removed as quickly as possible,β the operations chief told Ny Breaking.com.
‘It shouldn’t take weeks, but I can’t speculate about that right now.
“We don’t want it to stay in the bay any longer than necessary, but I don’t have an exact date.”
He said the plane had become stuck to the seabed and investigators wanted to gather evidence about the cause of the crash before attempting to remove it.
The bay is also home to one of Hawaii’s two barrier reefs and an extensive development of shoal coral reefs
The Marine Corps base is home to approximately 9,300 service members and 5,100 family members
A deep gash is visible in the fuselage of the spy plane after the emergency landing on the coral
The splashdown has drawn comparisons to 2009’s ‘Miracle on the Hudson’, when a US Airbus A320 landed in New York, but it took just two days to retrieve the plane
All 155 people on board reached safety when US Airways pilot Chelsey ‘Sully’ Sullenberger plunged into the river after a bird strike knocked out power to all engines
Plastic trees have been floated around the crash site in an attempt to contain any fuel leaks, but he said he has faced pressure from environmentalists on the island.
“Hawaii as a whole is very environmentally conscious, so we’ve had some concerns, but we have a team on the ground and they don’t see any problems.”
The bay on the island of Oahu is less than 10 miles from Honolulu and is home to a Marine Corps base with approximately 9,300 service members and 5,100 family members.
It is also home to extensive coral reefs, a breeding ground for endangered hammerhead sharks and the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Marine Biology.
Earlier this month, researchers at the Institute discovered a 9-metre-long whale shark β the largest fish in the world β feeding in the shallow waters, giving them the opportunity to study the endangered species.
The crew was conducting “routine training” at the time of the crash, military officials said.
“I was at the house at 2:30 p.m. and heard some sirens, so I went outside and looked and four fire trucks and an ambulance passed the house,” said local resident Tucker Hills. hawaiinewsnow.com.
According to Thomas Vaughan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, it was cloudy and rainy at the time and visibility was limited to about a mile.
Hawaiian aircraft expert Peter Forman said Kaneohe has a shorter runway than most military bases and bad weather and high winds may also have played a role in the crash.
βIf the runway is wet and slippery and you land too fast or too long, at some point you’re really just fighting physics,β he explained.
βAnd actually going around and trying again is the only way to make it work because then it just becomes too risky.
“The pilot probably didn’t put the plane exactly where he wanted on the runway,” he added.
“It’s probably a combination of all those factors together.”
Others were less charitable.
βI was stationed there for 5.5 years and was a flyer,β wrote one on Reddit.
βThe runway is short, but I’ve seen every type of plane land there, much bigger and faster than the P-8.
‘P8s have been out of Kbay for a long time, this is either pilot error or aircraft failure on landing. Nothing more or less.’