Poseidon gets wet feet
The United States Navy's P-8A Poseidon 169561/YD-561 (66094) from Whidbey Island (WA)-based Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 The Skinny Dragons, overshot runway 22 and ditched into Kaneohe Bay when landing at MCAS Kaneohe Bay (HI), on 20 November 2023. The aircraft came to rest in the water with most of the cabin above the water surface. The nine occupants were uninjured and the aircraft received substantial damage.
Base emergency services quickly responded to the scene, including federal firefighters, military police, air traffic control, fire rescue and waterfront operations.
Images posted on Hawaii News Now show the Poseidon surrounded by water some fifty yards offshore, a sight reminiscent of the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson”. 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 is used for anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and humanitarian response missions, according to the Navy.
Weather conditions at the time were cloudy and rainy, with limited visibility, which may have played a part in the overrun of the runway.