Photos show underwater wreckage of Boeing plane that crash-landed off coast of Hawaii

‘It doesn’t look good here – you may want to let the Coast Guard know,’ pilot tells air traffic control as he loses plane engines

Photos have been released of the Boeing 737-200 cargo jet that made an emergency water landing off Hawaii on 2 July. (The National Transportation Safety Board)

Haunting images from the seafloor have been released of the cargo plane that made an emergency landing on the waters off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu on 2 July.

The photos, released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday, show the wreckage on the bottom of the ocean.

The Boeing 737-200 cargo jet was located around two miles into the ocean from Ewa Beach, west of Honolulu. Both members of the crew were rescued after the pilot ditched the plane in the water.

The NTSB said in a statement on Friday that different parts of the wrecked plane, such as the aft fuselage with both of the wings, the tail with both engines, and the forward fuselage, were found in waters at depths spanning 360 and 420 feet (110 and 128 metres).

The board said it is too deep to send out divers to retrieve the flight data and the voice recorders from the cockpit. But an investigative team is forming a plan to recover the jet.

A Side Scan Sonar and Remotely Operated Vehicle were used to find the plane.

The safety board said that another plane fuelled on the same night was tested and that no irregularities were discovered.

The National Transportation Safety Board released images of the cargo plane that crash-landed in the sea off Hawaii on 2 July. (The National Transportation Safety Board)

One of the crew members on Transair Flight 810 was taken to hospital via helicopter after the crash landing, the other was rescued by boat. The plane they flew was built in 1975.

The crew reported that they were having engine issues and planned to turn back just after taking off from Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu at 1.33am local time. They were flying towards Maui, another Hawaiian island.

The NTSB said they have done over a dozen interviews with the crew, and with staff at Transair and the Federal Aviation Administration. The cause of the crash remains unclear.

The National Transportation Safety Board released images of the cargo plane that crash-landed in the sea off Hawaii on 2 July. (The National Transportation Safety Board)

The 50-year-old pilot, who suffered a head injury and several gashes, was able to leave hospital earlier this week.

The pilot and co-pilot were rescued by the United States Coast Guard as they were holding on to packages and the Boeing 737’s tail to stay floating in the Pacific Ocean.

The pilots reported that one engine was down and there are indications that the aircraft wasn’t high enough to be able to return to Honolulu, prompting the emergency landing in the sea.

Rhoades Aviation Inc was the operator of the plane. The company flies as Transair, which is one of Hawaii’s largest cargo airlines and has been in business since 1982.

According to a recording on LiveATC, a site broadcasting air traffic control communications, the pilot told Honolulu air traffic control: “We’ve lost number one engine, we’re coming straight to the airport.

“We’re going to need the fire department, there’s a chance we’re going to lose the other engine, it’s running very hot.

“It doesn’t look good here – you may want to let the Coast Guard know as well,” the pilot said.

The pilots reported the loss of their second engine at 1.46am and that they were being forced to ditch the plane in the water.