TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale Raises Downed Convair Cargo Aircraft, No Injuries-Plane in One Piece

December 12, 2004

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale, a Broward County based company, successfully completed another airplane salvage. This time a Convair cargo plane crash landed in Maule Lake, N. Miami Beach, FL. "This time no one was hurt," states Larry Acheson, President and Senior Salvage Master. "The pilot did a great job. He had a split second to make a decision, did exactly what he had to do and everyone walked away from the crash uninjured."

With the pilot and co-pilot safely on land, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale faced the challenge of raising the sunken aircraft, still filled with over 10,000 pounds of cargo. A salvage team, consisting of the top salvage divers of the company, was assembled and equipment was mobilized including towboats, a 160 Ton crane and a 180 foot barge.

A custom made spreader bar was required for this job. The wings of the aircraft, the strongest part of the plane, were intact. A strap was secured to the fuselage forward and aft of the wings with an additional strap 12 feet for and aft of them. It was critical to lift the aircraft in one piece, mitigating any environmental repercussions from a broken fuselage. Along with environmental issues, if the plane broke up upon lifting, the divers would have the substantial task of recovering all of the pieces for NTSB's investigation to be completed.

Capt. Chris Stevens, Salvage Master and Lead Salvage Diver, dove the aircraft to inspect its condition. He reported, "Visibility was surprisingly good. The plane was in good condition considering it sustained a water landing." Capt. Stevens also noted a hole in the bottom of the plane, approximately 20 feet long. The plane was filled with cargo packed in cardboard boxes. Previously dry, the cargo and the boxes were now saturated and adding substantial weight to the aircraft.

The lifting operation began once the barge and crane were in place. The crane lowered the spreader bar to the waiting divers and the team carefully rigged the straps along the fuselage. Capt. Acheson watched from the crane as the lift commenced. The aircraft was lifted by inches allowing water to drain from the cargo hold. Approximately 2000 gallons of water emptied from the plane every 5 minutes. "It was a slow and tedious process," remarked Capt. Acheson, "but critical to the success and safety of the operation." The weight of the aircraft coupled with the propellers intact on the wings, created additional hurdles for the team to meet.

In the early hours of the morning on Friday, December 10, the aircraft landed on the barge. Years of experience and a skilled crew overcame the obstacles of raising the aircraft in one piece and positioning it securely on the barge. The cargo was unloaded, the wings will be sawed off, the plane will be disassembled and transported overland to a hanger where NTSB can complete their investigation of the crash.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has preformed thousands of salvages since its inception in 1989. "We are glad that the tragedy of aircraft salvage happens less frequently," comments Capt. Acheson. "Seldom is the outcome for the crew and passengers as fortuitous as in this case." One of the more recent aircraft recovery jobs handled by TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale that captured the attention of the media was the stunt plane crash during a practice flight at the Ft. Lauderdale Air and Sea Show last May. Sadly, the pilot did not survive.

Capt. Acheson enjoys the challenge and diversity of his work. He has been known to say, "It's only exciting if something goes wrong." For more information, contact TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale at (954) 783-7821.

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