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Coast Guard oversees salvage efforts following aircraft crash​ in San Juan Harbor

Coast Guard oversees salvage efforts following aircraft crash​ in San Juan Harbor. MH-65 Dolphin Air Station Borinquen. HH-65 Dolphin.
Archive image: Coast Guard helicopter crews conducted cliff and vertical surface rescue training, near Air Station Borinquen, 200 feet above Survivor Beach, in Aguadilla, as part of crew certification requirements to conduct search and rescue operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Matt Udkow, Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard Sector San Juan Incident Management Division personnel are overseeing salvage efforts by the owning company of a​ Piper Aztec airplane Wednesday, after the​ twin-engine aircraft​ crash into San Juan Harbor’s San Antonio channel Tuesday afternoon, killing the pilot and one of two aircraft mechanics who were aboard.

“Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the men who were lost in this very unfortunate incident,” said Capt. Eric King, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “We are thankful to hear that the sole survivor is recovering at a local hospital and wish him a prompt and successful recovery.”

Following the completion of search and rescue operations, Sector San Juan IMD personnel requested a salvage plan from Marine Diving Contractors and Clean Harbors Caribe, as the companies hired by the owner, Vieques Air Link, Inc. to recover the aircraft and remove the pollution threat from the San Antonio Channel.

Coast Guard oversees salvage efforts following aircraft crash​ in San Juan Harbor
Marine Science Technicians 3rd Class Kevin Villanueva and Angel Dávila, from Sector San Juan’s Incident Management Division, oversee salvage and fuel recovery operations conducted by Marine Diving Contractors and Clean Harbors Caribe to recover a downed aircraft from San Juan Harbor’s San Antonio channel in Puerto Rico June 3, 2020. The airplane was a Piper Aztec twin-engine aircraft from Vieques Air Link Inc. that crashed shortly after take-off June 2, 2020 during a maintenance test flight which the pilot and one of two aircraft mechanics who were aboard.
U.S. Coast Guard photo

The pollution threat represented by the aircraft consists of a maximum potential discharge of 144 gallons of Jet-A fuel that could potentially be released into the water, although the actual amount of fuel the aircraft was carrying at the time of the crash remains uncertain.

​ “Our main focus at this point is to ensure the safe recovery of the aircraft and removal of the pollution threat from the San Antonio Channel, which is just off the Club Nautico and San Juan Bay marinas,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Villanueva, Sector San Juan IMD Marine Science Technician. “The impacts to the environment should be minimal considering this type of fuel evaporates quickly.”

As part of the operation, Clean Harbors personnel deployed containment boom around the crash site to prevent fuel from spreading inside the channel.

Coast Guard oversees salvage efforts following aircraft crash​ in San Juan Harbor
Coast Guard Sector San Juan Incident Management Division oversees salvage and fuel recovery operations being conducted by Marine Diving Contractors and Clean Harbors Caribe crews to recover a downed aircraft and fuel from San Juan Harbor’s San Antonio channel in Puerto Rico June 3, 2020. The airplane was a Piper Aztec twin-engine aircraft from Vieques Air Link Inc. that crashed June 2, 2020 during a maintenance test flight which killed the pilot and one of two aircraft mechanics who were aboard.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a VHF marine radio transmission on Channel-16 from San Juan Bay pilots at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday, who reported the downed aircraft to the Coast Guard. Watchstanders immediately diverted a Boat Station San Juan 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement from a training mission and directed the launch of a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Borinquen.​ Upon arriving on scene, the Boat Station San Juan crew assisted local emergency crews in reaching and recovering divers from the crash site, who successfully recovered the​ deceased.

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-USCG-

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