The US Navy attempts to rescue a plane from Hawaii’s vulnerable bay
In the crystal clear waters of Kaneohe Bay, a 300,000-pound U.S. Navy patrol plane is stuck on a fragile reef ecosystem.
The P-8A Poseidon plane ended up there after it overran the runway at a U.S. Marine Corps base in Hawaii last month and plunged into the water, sending nine crew members scrambling to safety and the U.S. Navy trying to figure out what what had gone wrong and how to get out safely.
Underwater images The plane appeared to be partially afloat, with at least one wheel causing a gouge in the fragile coral.
On Thursday, the Navy was still recovering the plane, which it said had returned from a routine training mission, when it ended up in the water. The crew members were rescued from an inflatable life raft and no one was injured, a base spokeswoman said.
Navy officials said within about 30 minutes of the accident, personnel erected a temporary floating barrier to contain any hazardous materials. Divers later anchored and stabilized the plane to prevent it from causing further damage to the ecosystem, they said. On Sunday, the divers “conducted a slow and methodical defueling process, removing nearly 2,000 gallons of fuel from the aircraft,” Adm. Kevin P. Lenox said at a news conference this week.
In preparation, the divers practiced connecting and disconnecting the fuel lines of a P-8A Poseidon, a model that the Navy said had never been emptied underwater. They also conducted a hydrographic survey to help plan a recovery operation that minimized impacts to the ecosystem, Admiral Lenox said.
The two best options, he added, were to tow the plane back to the runway with a crane or use inflatable cylindrical planes. floating bags which would allow the Navy to roll it back ashore.
“Since the incident and throughout the weekend, this team has focused solely on developing a recovery plan for this aircraft, prioritizing the safety of personnel and the environment,” Admiral Lenox said, noting the importance of Kaneohe Bay , “not just as a strategic place.” location for the military, but as a crucial ecosystem and a beloved part of the local community.”
The Navy said it was working with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct an independent assessment of the reef and conditions in the area where the plane came to rest in Kaneohe Bay.
The bay, a popular snorkeling, swimming and fishing spot known for its colorful reefs, has only recently been restored sewage leaks in the sixties and seventies. Like many other reefs around the world, it is suffering from the effects of climate change and overfishing.
“It’s unfortunate that this is yet another human impact on a reef system that is already struggling under the weight of many other human impacts,” said Elizabeth Madin, associate professor at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. The underwater footage, she added, appeared to show dislodged and knocked over coral, which could take years to grow back. “Corals grow very, very slowly,” she said.
The plane crash follows the permanent closure in Hawaii last year of a Navy fuel storage facility known as Red Hill after it leaked petroleum into the local drinking water supply. At the news conference, Admiral Lenox acknowledged that the event had created “distrust” in the Navy. “My goal is to be open and transparent in everything we do here,” he added of the plans to save the plane.
On Thursday evening, the Navy said that after careful consideration it had “determined the method and schedule for recovery” and that it would inform the public of the details on Friday afternoon.