The aircraft skidded into Kaneohe Bay while attempting to land at the Marine Corps Air Station by the same name.
The aircraft skidded into Kaneohe Bay while attempting to land at the Marine Corps Air Station by the same name.
A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol jet reportedly overshot the runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) Monday afternoon local time, according to local media reports.
According to a spokesperson at MCBH, the jet was landing at the base when it ran off the runway and ended up partially submerged in Kaneohe Bay,KITV reported. “The incident happened about 2 p.m.,” Hawaii News Now reported. “Sources said the aircraft had nine people on board and all of them made it to shore.”
You can see video of the aircraft in the water over on Instagram here.
We reached out to MCBH for more information and will update this story with any details provided.
The P-8 Poseidon is the Navy’s premier maritime patrol aircraft that is capable of everything from submarine hunting to collecting signals and other forms of intelligence. You can read a firsthand account of its operations in this past feature of ours.
No P-8s are permanently stationed in Hawaii, but the type is a fixture there as rotational deployments of P-8 units are constant there. Poseidons are constantly active over various parts of the Pacific, sometimes making news in the process.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE:
Oil containment booms have been setup around the stricken P-8:
The aircraft’s markings would place its home base at NAS Whidbey Island, one of two master P-8 bases.
UPDATE: 9:50 PM EST—
The jet was indeed based at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, and was conducting routine training for maritime patrol and reconnaissance at MCBH, Marine Lt. Col. Hailey Harms, a base spokesperson, told The War Zone. It overshot the runway and skidded into the water as it was landing, she said. All nine Navy personnel aboard the aircraft made it safely to shore with no injuries, she added. The accident, which occurred at 1:57pm local time, is currently under investigation.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
