Recovery of a Piper Navajo
In mid-April, a Piper Navajo crashed into very shallow water just East of the South Bimini Airport runway shortly after takeoff. The plane had a father and son on board and tragically, the son did not survive the crash.
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was contracted to recover the wreckage and transport it back to the United States. The crew responded on board the company’s 96’ work boat, M/V Ricard L. Becker. With a twin engine RHIB in tow and the necessary salvage gear on deck, the Becker steamed for Bimini. Upon arrival and after government clearance, the crew headed around North Bimini and anchored 6 miles north of the wreck site in about 20’ of water. The crew got to work right away, utilizing the shallow draft RHIB to access the crash site. Lift bags were rigged and inflated on the fuselage and the engines. Towing from the wreck site to the Becker was slow due to the shallow water and the awkward shape and lack of hydrodynamics of the plane. All smaller debris was collected from the ocean floor to complete the cleanup. Each piece was loaded on deck and secured for the trip back to Ft. Lauderdale. Check out a few more images from the operation below.
One more complex marine problem solved for a happy customer!
