US Navy plane crashes into Hawaii waters after overshooting runway

A US Navy plane crashed into the waters of a Hawaii bay on Monday after overshooting the runway, forcing those on board to swim to safety.

The P-8A Poseidon aircraft was carrying nine crew members, none of whom have been injured, was aiming to land at a US Marine Corps base on the Hawaiin island of Oahu.

The Coast Guard responded but ended up calling it off quickly after it became clear that all passengers were unharmed.

Petty Officer Ryan Fisher, a Coast Guard spokesperson, said: “It sounds like all parties involved were rescued."

People have been quick to compare this incident with the famous 'Miracle on the Hudson' crash.

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Diane Dirks, a witness to the event, had just returned to the dock after poor weather cut their boat trip short when her daughter spotted the plane in the water.

She said: “We went running over to the end of the dock, and I took some pictures. It was unbelievable."

Luckily, Dirks said her duaghter always keeps a pair of binoculars handy for birdwatching, so she was able to see the plane and rescue boats arriving.

The Honolulu Fire Department received a 911 call for a downed aircraft shortly after 2p.m. on November 20. The combination of the cloud and rain meant that visibility was only about 1 mile with winds of up 21 miles per hour.

The jet, based in Washington, was "on a detachment in support of maritime homeland defense," according to a statement from the US Navy’s Third Fleet.

The P-8A Poseidon is a versatile plane and used in lots of US Navy missions because it can carry both torpedoes and cruise missiles, while also conducting antisubmarine and antisurface warfare and intelligence gathering missions.

Marine Corps spokesperson Gunnery Sgt. Orlando Perez had no information on the cause of the incident.