BOLD HORIZON

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Wreckage of aircraft recovered

The National Transportation Safety Board has recovered a TransAir Boeing 737-200 from the ocean floor just off of Hawaii. The aircraft that crashed exactly four months ago was resting on an ocean shelf between 350-450 feet from the ocean surface. The mission to recover the plane took place throughout October. The salvgage involved various companies, from the aircraft’s insurance provider, who paid for the mission, to specialists in ocean floor recovery and even endangered species experts. The 'Bold Horizon' and the barge 'Salta Verde' were deployed from California to Honolulu. On Oct 12, the 'Bold Horizon' left the port in Honolulu and headed to the wreck site, not far from the island. The ship’s ROV prepared the engines and front landing gear assemblies with straps, which were then used to hoist them out of the water. The parts were then taken to Honolulu by the 'Bold Horizon' on Oct 17. On Oct 18 the ship returned to recover the forward fuselage section. This part was around 37 feet long and weighed around 7,030 kilograms. This was raised on Oct 20 and reached this shore on Oct 22. Finally, the rear part of the fuselage was recovered. This proved to be the most challenging part for several reasons. Not only was it an awkward shape, but it was also heavy. The aft part of the aircraft itself weighed around 21,999 kilograms. Four cargo containers remained secured in the plane, adding an extra 5,443 kilograms to be recovered. The tail and wings remained attached to the aft section of the fuselage. The operation had to be completed slowly and carefully to make sure that it didn’t break apart while rising to the surface. The part was recovered from the ocean on Oct 30 and brought ashore on Oct 31.. The investigators were mainly interested in recovering the fuselage and black boxes. Still, as the insurance company ended up footing the bill, some of the cargo lost in the accident was also recovered. Report with photos: https://simpleflying.com/transair-boeing-737-wreckage-recovered/

Bold Horizon to raise crashed jet

The 'Bold Horizon' was contracted with the recovery operation for the wreckage of a Boeing 737 cargo jet that ditched into the waters off the Hawaiian island of Oahu on July 2, 2021. The Boeing 737-200 reported anomalies in both engines and subsequently ditched into Mamala Bay shortly after takeoff from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The two pilots escaped from the wreckage and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Honolulu Airport Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit. The aircraft was operated by Rhoades Aviation Inc, dba TransAir Flight 810. TransAir’s insurance provider contracted with several companies to bring the wreckage and cargo to the surface. The recovery operation will also involve Curtain Maritime’s derrick barge 'Salte Verde', which is equipped with Manitowoc 4600 S-3 crane. The barge will be towed to Hawaii from the U.S. West Coast by the company’s tug 'Shirley C'. Several NTSB investigators will be aboard the 'Bold Horizon' to coordinate the recovery effort. The wreckage of TransAir flight 810 contains important investigative information, including that captured by the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer L. Homendy. Having access to the recorders, the engines and other components will be critical to understanding not only how this accident occurred, but how future accidents might be prevented. The jet’s fuselage broke into two pieces: the aft section with the wings and tail attached, and the forward section that includes the cockpit. Both engines separated from the wings at impact. All the wreckage is on an ocean shelf at a depth ranging from 350 to 450 feet. The site is about two miles from Ewa Beach in Honolulu. Although there was an initial underwater survey done shortly after the ditching to confirm the location and disposition of the wreckage, the team will conduct another survey with the ROVs to determine if there have been any changes to the orientation of the wreckage. Following the survey, the ROVs will be used to rig each of the engines and fuselage sections and brought to the surface. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are located in the aft fuselage of the airplane and will be recovered after that section is brought to the surface. Afterwards, the devices will sent NTSB Recorder Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where they will be downloaded for analysis. NTSB investigators will also document the wreckage in Honolulu before the engines and other selected components are crated and shipped to facilities on the U.S. mainland for further examination and testing. The entire recovery operation is expected to take 10 to 14 days, depending on the weather and other factors. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/investigators-set-to-raise-boeing-737-cargo-jet-wreckage-off-hawaii/

New Horizon sold to private interests

The "New Horizon" has been sold from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography to private interests, announced ship broker Marcon International, Inc. She will continue to work under her new ownership as a U.S. flag research and survey vessel and may be developed for time charter from her new owners through Marcon International, Inc.