Navy to Use Inflatable Cylinders to Lift Crashed Plane from Hawaii Reef

Operation to remove the aircraft, which overshot a runway and landed in an environmentally sensitive bay, is expected to begin on Saturday.

The U.S. Navy plans to use inflatable cylinders to lift and roll a jet plane off a coral reef in Hawaii where the aircraft crashed on Nov. 20.
The P-8A plane overshot the runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and landed in an environmentally sensitive bay about 10 miles from Honolulu.
A Navy team has removed nearly all of the estimated 2,000 gallons of fuel that was on the aircraft.
Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox, who is leading the salvage effort, expects the removal operation to get underway on Saturday.
Hawaii state officials will examine the reef for damage once the plane is removed.