Navy confirms plans underway to safely remove large military plane stuck in Kaneohe Bay

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Military officials on Wednesday said it is following environmental requirements to work on a plan to safely remove a Navy plane that crashed in the ocean off Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

“We will work with appropriate local and federal authorities to ensure the correct actions are taken to understand, measure, and mitigate any impacts to the local environment,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, state security boats are patrolling Kaneohe Bay to keep people away from the plane.

The Coast Guard used helicopters and boats to get all nine crew members safely to shore safely.

The aircraft is surrounded by booms to keep any leaking fuel from spreading.

How to safely remove that 70-ton aircraft is the big question. The state and the military are still trying to figure that out.

Spectators continue to come to lookouts along the H-3 heading to Marine Corps Base Hawaii to get a glimpse of the Boeing P-8 military surveillance plane that is sitting in Kaneohe Bay.

“I don’t think it’s a spectacle. I think it’s a disaster and unfortunate,” said Jin-Me Yoon, visiting from Vancouver.

While the details on how it will be removed remain unclear, questions continue about how that can be done safely.

“I think we need to know what kinds of chemicals to test for,” said Wayne Tanaka with the Sierra Club of Hawaii. “We need the Navy to get all the fuel out of its plane and get the plane away from these habitats. We need surveys and assessments to know just what kind of damage has been done.”

Tanaka says the state should be on-site during the removal process to ensure it is done safely for the environment.

The DOH says they are monitoring the situation and confirmed it will oversee the plane’s removal with the military.

It adds that, at this time, it has no knowledge of any fuel being leaked.

The Navy has released an official statement:

At approximately 2 p.m. local (Hawaii) Nov. 20, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon

overshot the runway while landing at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, and ended up in nearby

water.

All personnel safely evacuated the aircraft and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The

crew was returning from a regularly scheduled flight. The Navy will convene an investigation to

determine the cause and contributing factors of the mishap.

First responders and emergency crews acted immediately to conduct an initial assessment and employed

floating barriers to protect the surrounding environment. Additionally, divers from Mobile Diving and

Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 worked overnight to help stabilize the aircraft. Preliminary assessment indicates

the aircraft is structurally intact, and there was no sign of fuel leaking from the aircraft.

The P-8A crew, assigned to Whidbey Island, Washington-based Patrol Squadron (VP)-4 “Skinny

Dragons” were on a detachment in support of maritime homeland defense. There were nine

crewmembers on board – three pilots and six crewmembers (two officers and four enlisted).

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet activated a response team to address aircraft recovery, force protection, and

environmental concerns.

More information will be released as it becomes available.