[The Drive] The U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane that ended up in Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay on November 20 is finally out of the water. The plane was floated from where it had come to rest using inflatable airbags and then slowly rolled — sometimes at a pace of just five feet per hour — across those bags back onto the runway. Much of the aircraft remains intact, including its landing gear, and the Navy is hopeful that it can return to service after what are expected to be significant repairs.
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officials provided an update on the status of the P-8A at a press conference earlier today. The jet, which belongs to the Navy's Patrol Squadron Four (VP-4) based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington State, ran off the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay last month. The installation is part of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The aircraft was returning from a routine training mission at the time. The circumstances surrounding the mishap remain under investigation.
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Work has been ongoing since the incident occurred to assess the state of the P-8A and mitigate impacts to the local environment, including coral that was damaged when the jet entered the water. After overshooting the runway, the aircraft continued for a short distance and pivoted to the left before coming to a stop.
The actual process of getting the plane off the coral below and back onto the runway, which private contractors also supported, began last Thursday when the necessary equipment first began arriving. Preparations to move the aircraft were underway by Friday and then, on Saturday morning, the jet was successfully raised using airbags.
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