The US Navy's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) team has successfully located a C-2a Greyhound aircraft that crashed in the Philippine Sea near Japan.
The C-2A aircraft was carrying 11 crew and passengers when it crashed. Eight personnel were recovered immediately by US Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC 12).
For the next three days, Ronald Reagan led combined search and rescue for three sailors with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), covering almost 3,400 square kilometres before ending the search.
Initially delayed by poor weather conditions, the team deployed the TPL-25 pinger locator to optimal search depths of 915 metres above the ocean floor on December 29.
After marking the aircraft's location, the search team returned to port.
The C-2A rests at a depth of about 5638 metres, making the salvage phase of this operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date.
In coming weeks, the team will return to the site with a side-scan-sonar (SSS) and remote operated vehicle (ROV) to map the debris field and attach heavy lines for lifting the aircraft to the surface.
Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and its fallen sailors.
