Officials have recovered the flight data recorder of a US Navy plane that overshot the runway near Honolulu
By means ofThe Associated Press
November 25, 2023, 4:06 PM
This photo courtesy of US Marine Corps, US Navy Sailors with Company 1-3, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, retrieved the aircraft flight recorder of a downed US Navy P-8A Poseidon and is being interrogated in waters near the runway at the Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Thursday, November 23, 2023. The flight data recorder has been recovered as the military continues to plan for the aircraft’s removal. (Lance Cpl. Hunter Jones/US Marine Corps via AP)
The Associated Press
KANEOHE, Hawaii — The flight data recorder of a large U.S. Navy plane that overran a runway and ended up in the water near Honolulu this week has been recovered as the military continues to plan for the plane’s removal.
The Navy’s Aircraft Mishap Board is conducting an on-site investigation at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay in an effort to determine the cause of the accident and any contributing factors, the Navy said in a statement Friday.
Sailors from a mobile diving and recovery unit retrieved the data recorder Thursday and conducted a hydrographic survey to assess the structural integrity of the P-8A aircraft.
The study also assessed the coral and marine environment around the aircraft, which will help them minimize impact during its removal, the Navy said.
Residents of Kaneohe Bay have raised concerns about possible damage to the coral reef and other potential damage from fuel or other chemicals in the area, which is about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from an old fishing point.
The Navy said it has installed primary and secondary containment screens around the aircraft, along with other absorbent materials. Specially trained staff monitor the area 24 hours a day.
No injuries were reported to the nine people aboard the plane in Monday’s accident at the base, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Honolulu on Oahu.
The P-8A is often used in submarine hunting and for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. It is manufactured by Boeing and shares many parts with the 737 commercial airliner.
The aircraft belongs to the Skinny Dragons of Patrol Squadron 4, based on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Patrol squadrons were once based in Kaneohe Bay, but are now deployed to Hawaii on a rotating basis.
Another crew from Washington state, the VP-40 Fighting Marlins, arrived Thursday to assume defense of the homeland, the Navy said.