On Thursday, a freight train derailment near Superior, Montana sent three Boeing 737 fuselages tumbling into the Clark Fork River. Today, the cracked and scraped airplane bodies still litter the river’s shores, and officials don’t know how they’re going to remove them.
https://jalopnik.com/two-new-boeing-737s-crash-before-they-ever-got-to-fly-1600428911
The train, carrying six 737 fuselages along with various Boeing parts and some non-airplane freight, had 19 cars derail on July 3rd. Three of the six airplane bodies fell into the river, while the other three were scattered on the land at the accident site. The planes were being transported from Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita to a Boeing plant in Washington state for final assembly.
Crews will begin the task of recovering the airplane bodies today, though they’re unsure just how they’ll accomplish it. A spokesperson for Montana Rail Line told local news outlets that the company has never faced such a challenge.
Poor airplanes. Born to fly, doomed to swim. [KWCH 12, Aviation Week, Kyle Massick]
Images and GIF via YouTube
