Logistics and Transportation Problems Solved for Cessna 402 After Crash

A challenging and unusual job that involves transportation by sea? Sounds like another typical day at TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale! An attorney that works in the aviation industry contacted TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale in January with an interesting need. A Cessna 402 had crashed into the woods at the end of the runway on a private Bahamian island in the Abaco Chain named Scotland Cay in late December. The goal was to get the wreckage back to the U.S. as efficiently as possible. Tapping into a network of friends and associates that have been built over the past 30 years, Director of Operations Kevin Collins put a plan together to make it happen. Collins has performed dozens of aircraft recoveries over his 17 years in the business, but most of these involved recovering wreckage that had settled to the sea floor. Collins remembers saying “this one should be easier! With a controlled environment we should be able to come alongside the dock, load the wreckage and bring it home! I found a couple holes in that theory pretty quickly. The water depth in the Bahamas is pretty shallow in many places, Scotland Cay is no exception!” Collins explains “Our 96’ boat, M/V Richard L. Becker draws about 9’ of water. With a quick review of the charts, we realized that we would be aground if we tried to enter the harbor. With information from some American and Bahamian friends, we contacted a couple of talented people that quickly helped us overcome this hurdle. We located contractors on Scotland Cay and in Marsh Harbour that were willing and able to help with the operation. We arranged for airplane engineers from the states to fly to the island to prepare the airplane for the trek. They removed the wings just outboard of the engines and assisted the folks on Scotland Cay with relocating the airplane to a position alongside the bulkhead in the marina. The remaining fuel on board was also removed and transferred to drums. We arranged for a tug and crane barge to steam from nearby Marsh Harbour the following day. The shallow draft of the crane barge allowed it to enter the marina and come alongside adjacent to where the wreckage was situated. Once the plane and her wings were lifted and secured on deck, the crane barge steamed out into the Sea of Abaco where our boat was awaiting their arrival. The load was transferred from the barge to the deck of our boat and secured. The Becker made her way out Whale Cay cut and back to Ft. Lauderdale where the wreckage was transferred to a waiting truck. The job went off without a hitch thanks to a little help from our friends!”

“Solving Complex Marine Problems Since 1989” is a line you will see often in the signature of emails coming from TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale. You will also find it on their website, at the bottom of their letterhead and many other locations. This is not just a tag line or a catchy slogan, it is what they do every day. They are available to help you with your complex marine problem right now!