'Unbelievable': Navy plane with 9 on board overshoots runway in Hawaii, lands in water
A large Navy aircraft overshot the runway at a U.S. Marine base in Hawaii on Monday, landing in the water.
Nine Navy personnel were inside the plane that landed in Kaneohe Bay just before 2 p.m., according to base spokesperson Hailey Harms. All nine people returned to shore safely and no injuries were reported.
The cause of the incident was under investigation.
Harms said the aircraft "did overshoot their landing" on the base's runaway, about 10 miles from Honolulu.
The crew inside were part of a Washington based squadron VP-4 "Skinny Dragons" stationed at Whidbey Island in Washington state, according to the Marine Corps.
"First responders and emergency crews acted immediately to conduct an initial assessment and employed a temporary floating barrier, which is used to protect the environment," Marine Corps spokesperson Mohammad N. Issa said in a statement.
More about the plane that landed in Kaneohe Bay
Harms said the plane was an 8A, which operates with a smaller crew and has a wingspan of about 124 feet, according to the Navy’s website.
The Boeing P8A Poseidon's primary purpose is reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. It is manufactured by Boeing and shares many parts with the 737 commercial jet.
The aircraft is "equipped with state of the art radars, sensors and a new air-to-air refuel capability," the site says.
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Witness to P8A's water landing says 'it was unbelievable'
Diane Dircks of Illinois told The Associated Press that she and her family had just returned to a dock after rainy weather cut their pontoon boat trip short when her daughter saw the plane in the water.
Shortly after, they heard sirens, and the family used a pair of binoculars to look at the plane and the rescue boats arriving.
“It was unbelievable,” she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Navy plane overshoots runway in Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay, lands in water
