A P-8A Poseidon floating in Kaneohe Bay on Nov. 20, 2023. Image via KITV

Navy P-8A Poseidon Overshoots Hawaiian Runway Splashes in Kaneohe Bay, Crew Safe

by Gidget Fuentes, USNI News, November 20, 2023

A Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol airplane is in Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay after attempting to land on a Marine Corps runway Monday afternoon, according to Marine Corps officials.

The P-8A reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft was on approach to land on the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu.

“The aircraft was landing and overshot” the runway, said 1st Lt. Hailey Harms, a Marine Corps Base Hawaii spokesperson, told USNI News.

The aircraft landed at 1:59 p.m. local Hawaii time and ended up in the water just off the coast. The air station’s main runway runs in a northeast-to-southwest direction.

Nine people were aboard the aircraft at the time but no immediate injuries were reported.

“They are still being medically assessed,” Harms said.

Base emergency services quickly responded to the scene, including federal firefighters, military police, air traffic control, fire rescue and waterfront operations, she said.

The Honolulu Fire Department sent out the initial alert just after 2 p.m. for a “probable aircraft fire incident,” local KITV Channel 4 reported.

It’s unclear yet what the next step will be in recovering the aircraft and which agencies will be involved in investigating the incident.

“That’s still being assessed, as well,” Harms said.

Images posted on a Hawaii News Now photographer show the white airplane surrounded by water some 50 yards offshore. The bay’s depth in that area ranges from 5 to 25 feet, according to nautical charts. Sand, mud and coral cover much of the bottom of the picturesque bay.

Along with hunting submarines, the P-8A Poseidon – the aircraft is based on the Boeing 737 airplane – is used for anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and humanitarian response missions, according to the Navy.

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A P-8A Poseidon floating in Kaneohe Bay on Nov. 21, 2023.

3rd Fleet: Aircraft Intact as Navy Prepares to Investigate P-8 Poseidon Mishap in Hawaii

by Gidget Fuentes, USNI News, November 22, 2023

The Navy will convene an investigation into Monday’s incident in Hawaii where a Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft overshot a runway and ended up in Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay, officials said.

Three pilots along with a crew of two officers and four enlisted personnel were aboard the aircraft at the time, but no injuries were reported, officials said. The Poseidon belonging to Whidbey Island, Wash.-based Patrol Squadron 4 was landing to land at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay when, for undetermined reasons, the aircraft ran off the runway and went into the shallow bay just before 2 p.m. local Hawaii time. The weather at the time was cloudy and breezy.

The P-8A Poseidon, which is based on the Boeing 737 airplane, remained in the bay as of late Tuesday.

“The Navy will convene an investigation to determine the cause and contributing factors of the mishap,” San Diego-based U.S. 3rd Fleet officials said in a statement issued Tuesday night.

The aircraft ended up just offshore from the end of the runway, its fuselage seemingly floating in the sand and coral-covered bay. First responders and emergency crews who reached the scene set out floating barriers to contain any fuel to spread across the bay. “Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 worked overnight to help stabilize the aircraft,” officials said in the statement.

“Preliminary assessment indicates the aircraft is structurally intact, and there was no sign of fuel leaking from the aircraft,” they said. “More information will be released as it becomes available.”

A response team was formed to address aircraft recovery, force protection and environmental concerns, officials said.