TowBoatU.S. Recovers Cessna 172 Wreckage
5 Miles East of Bimini, Bahamas

A Cessna 172 crashed East of Bimini on December 22nd 2014. Fortunately, the pilot was the only person on board and was uninjured. He was rescued by a United States Coast Guard helicopter and rescue swimmer after swimming several miles from the crash site. TowBoatU.S. was contracted to respond to the scene and recover the wreckage. The salvage operation was complicated by the fact that the wreckage was lying in only 8 feet of water. Director of Operations and Salvage Master Kevin Collins explains “We responded in our 96’ work boat, M/V Richard L. Becker once the wind and waves died down to acceptable levels. Our boat draws nearly 10 feet so we had to anchor it over a mile away from the plane. We carried a small boat on the deck and launched it once the Becker was anchored. Salvage gear was loaded and the crew went to work refloating the wreckage. Once the plane rose to the surface we towed it alongside the Becker and swung it on board as depicted in the photo above. Our crew stuck to the plan and the operation was safe and efficient. Thanks to Captain Adrian Barker and his crew as well as our salvage divers, Brent Thompson and Jordan Walker for a job well done!”

Once the plane was secure on deck, the satisfied crew made the trip back to Port Everglades where land transport for the plane was awaiting their arrival. The wreckage was offloaded and transported to a secure facility for use in the investigation. Over the years, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has recovered planes ranging from a small Sukhoi SU-31 acrobatic plane that crashed during a practice flight for an air show to a Convair CV-440 that crashed in an inland body of water in North Miami. The company is standing by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for their next recovery!