Recovering a crashed US fighter jet from the ocean floor: A complex journey

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Fluxus channel. The role of a US Navy diver is incredibly diverse and crucial. They can be engineers, medical officers, or specially trained enlisted personnel who tackle everything from salvaging ships to repairing submarines underwater. These divers work on a wide range of missions, including clearing harbors, rescuing submarines, conducting experimental dives, and even supporting Navy SEALs and other special operations. Navy divers have been a vital part of the force since the 1800s, when they started out as basic swimmers, and have since advanced to using cutting-edge technology for complex underwater tasks. Their work is essential, supporting both everyday naval operations and special missions across the globe, showcasing the evolution and importance of diving in naval history and operations. During World War II, the demand for Navy divers grew quickly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Just hours after the attack, a team was flown from San Diego to Hawaii, but instead of rescuing survivors, they only found victims. Working non-stop in shallow waters allowed these divers to work incredibly long days without breaks, undertaking grueling tasks like salvaging damaged ships such as the USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma. They even developed new tools like an underwater torch to cut through metal. Among their toughest jobs was retrieving bodies. a task that became so distressing that it had to be stopped, as the bodies were too decomposed from being underwater too long. The resilience and innovation of these divers were crucial in the Navy's efforts during the war. Building on the decades of naval experience, the Towed Pinger Locator TPL-25 represents a significant advancement in technology for underwater search operations. But how exactly does this sophisticated system work? This system is specifically designed to locate the emergency pingers from downed aircraft, crucial for recovering flight recorders and solving aviation mysteries. The TPL-25 can search up to a depth of 20,000 feet using a set of sophisticated tools, including a towfish, a cable, and a topside control console to pick up signals. operated by towing it behind a ship at slow speeds listening for pings that are transmitted from the black boxes of crashed planes these signals help operators pinpoint the wrecks location making it easier to recover valuable data and understand what went wrong with this technology the navy can efficiently handle deep sea recovery missions around the world let's see how these aircraft are rescued from the deep ocean focusing on one of the prime examples the Navy divers salvage operation of an FAA team this operation unfolded in multiple phases with the third phase specifically aimed at recovering the fuselage of the aircraft in the first two phases these brave divers successfully retrieved the cockpit from the ocean depths we're pushing the limits where our max depth right now is 189 feet and the Navy tables let us go to 190 feet. So this project right now that we're undertaking is the pinnacle of our Navy diving right here. We have the EOD guys here giving us support. We have people from San Diego and from Hawaii. Everybody's pulling together and we're doing a very good job. After the crash, aircraft often break into several pieces making the recovery process complex and challenging the diving unit requires special permissions to dive into deep depths enabling them to attach hoists to the sunken aircraft which can then be pulled back on board special crane ships leave the dock and engines and parts of the fuselage are recovered with the help of remotely operated vehicles ROVs meticulously retrieving each segment. But why go through all this effort? This process is critical because these sunken machines contain millions of dollars worth of equipment, and in some cases, dangerous and toxic substances that could harm other ships or the environment. Once the aircraft is pulled back, all important elements and expensive equipment are carefully reclaimed. Toxic elements are safely disposed of, while any valuable parts and information are salvaged, ensuring nothing hazardous remains at sea and valuable data is preserved for further investigation and analysis. This whole operation isn't carried out in one go. It involves multiple missions to recover different sections of the aircraft, like the cockpit, fuselage, wings, and tail. From the cockpit, multi-million dollar electronic equipment such as the electronic engine control, EEC, and other avionic systems are extracted. The fuselage yields precious metals and structural parts, while the wings are dismantled to salvage reusable components. One of the most critical and expensive parts, the engine, is carefully inspected. Since many crashes are attributed to engine failures. A thorough examination of the engines helps determine the cause of the crash. From the rear section of the aircraft, the auxiliary power unit, APU, a small jet engine typically located in the tail cone, but sometimes in an engine nacelle or the wheel well, is recovered. Additionally, the black box or flight data recorder is also retrieved from the rear section. Despite its name, the black box is usually bright orange, making it more visible. It records all flight information using a specific algorithm, which is crucial for authorities during the investigation process. Once the black box is recovered from a crashed aircraft, it undergoes a detailed analysis process to extract and decipher the flight data, which is crucial for understanding the events leading up to the crash a similar incident happened with Boeing P-8 Poseidon a maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft derived from the Boeing 737 800 airliner which is utilized primarily by the United States Navy for roles including anti-submarine warfare intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance equipped with torpedoes anti-ship missiles and advanced sonobuoy deployment capabilities the P-8 operates alongside assets like the MQ-4C Triton UAV enhancing its surveillance and operational effectiveness a notable incident involving the P-8 occurred when it overshot a runway and ended up in the sea this alarming mishap triggered an extensive investigation to ascertain the root causes of the accident various factors were examined including the aircraft's mechanical efficiency potential system failures issues with landing gear possible wildlife strikes and abrupt changes in weather conditions ultimately the investigation concluded that the incident was due to human error specifically mistakes made by the air crew following the incident the aircraft was towed to shore where detailed assessments continued the findings emphasized the need for comprehensive corrective measures across technical aspects procedural adherence air crew training and crew resource management after inspection recommendations were also made to improve coordination with air traffic control to prevent similar occurrences in the future these conclusions aim to refine operational protocols and enhance safety standards within naval aviation operations.