US reconnaissance plane skids off runway, crashes into sea

A US Navy P-8 surveillance plane skidded off the runway while landing at a Hawaiian base and crashed into shallow waters at Kaneohe Bay.

A P-8 Poseidon carrying nine people crashed while landing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii during a training flight on November 20. Photos from the scene showed the P-8 skidding off the runway and plunging into the ocean about 45 meters away.

The area of Kaneohe Bay where the P-8 crashed is about 1.5-7.6 m deep. Rescuers then placed buoys around the aircraft to prevent oil spills and brought the entire crew to shore safely.

The US military has not yet announced the cause of the accident or the damage caused. According to aviation expert Peter Forman, the short runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, bad weather and strong winds could have caused the P-8 to crash.

"The pilot probably couldn't land the plane exactly where he wanted it on the runway, causing it to not have time to brake and crash into the sea," said Mr. Forman.

A US Navy P-8 reconnaissance aircraft crashed into the waters of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on November 20. Photo: KITV4

The P-8 Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance aircraft was developed by the US since 2004 to replace the P-3 Orion model, which has been in operation since the 1950s. As of July 2022, the US Navy has received 112 P-8As.

The P-8 has a crew of nine, including two pilots and seven personnel operating the aircraft systems. The P-8 has a maximum speed of 907 km/h, a range of up to 8,300 km, and a combat radius of more than 2,200 km.

The aircraft has 11 weapons hardpoints, and can carry anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, anti-radar missiles, torpedoes, mines, depth charges and the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare System (HAAWC).

The P-8 is equipped with many reconnaissance and submarine detection systems, the main one being the AN/APY-10 radar capable of identifying submarine periscopes as well as tracking surface ships from a distance of hundreds of kilometers.

Nguyen Tien (According to USNI, HNN )

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