TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale Raises Downed Stunt Plane After Air & Sea Show Crash

May 1, 2004

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale, a Broward County based company, assisted with the raising of famous acrobatic pilot, Ian Groom's stunt plane, a Russian built Sukhoi SU-31. The accident happened during a practice session. TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale's 96' Offshore Supply Vessel, Richard L. Becker, was positioned as show center when the crash occurred. Reportedly, Groom was practicing a flat spin. He never pulled out. Coast Guard rushed to the scene and rescued Groom from the wreckage. He was pronounced dead at Broward General Medical Center.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was hired to assist with the recovery of the plane wreckage. "In this type of recovery it is especially important to bring all of the pieces to the surface so the authorities can try to figure out what happened up there," stated Larry Acheson, President and Founder of TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale. A salvage team, consisting of the top salvage divers of the company, was assembled and equipment was mobilized including the Richard L. Becker equipped with a 7.5 ton crane.

Divers found the numerous pieces of the wreckage, some large and some small. The sections were raised including the body of the aircraft. Slowly the team onboard the Richard L. Becker used the crane to lift the aircraft from the water and place it on the deck of the ship. The remains of the aircraft were taken to the Navy Base Ft. Lauderdale and placed on a flat bed trailer for NTSB and FAA inspection.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has preformed thousands of salvage operations since its inception in 1989. The company operates from three ports and provides towing and assistance to boaters in all of Southeast Florida and the Bahamas. The company continues to expand its services to include charter and launch services and mega-yacht towing and assistance.

For more information, contact TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale at (954) 783-7821.

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