Broken up PIA A300 and Antonov in DXB

[jdoe]

Has anyone from Dubai who crosses the Garhoud Bridge noticed the broken up PIA A300 and Aeroflot aircraft on the bank of the creek. I think these were written off after belly landings but what are they doing dumped on the creek side???

[BahrainLad]

They will shortly be sunk offshore to create new reefs.

[akerosid]

The Aeroflot aircraft is an IL86.

Pardon my naivete, but is this actually true, that they intend to use them to create reefs, for divers? I know this has been done with at least one aircraft (a 727 somewhere in the Caribbean) before.

[Konkordski]

Both aircraft made their final landings in 2001, in the space of a month - September (Il-86) and October (A300) - giving them both the dubious honour of managing to close DXB's operational runway at a time when the only other runway was shut for maintenance. :)

[NG_Kaptain]

A Carnival 727 was sunk off Key Biscayne in Miami as a dive site as was a BWIA 707-227 in Tobago after being used as a prop in a low budget disaster movie. This 227 was one of only five originally built for Braniff, one crashing and the rest sold to BeeWee. Cant think of any others but am sure there are if anybody cares to add to the count.:sad:

[Lusimtingting]

...And a Nord 262 in the waters off Bundaberg , Queensland , Australia a few years ago

[GK430]

Konkordski - I recall the nature of your employment, however, I seem to recall the IL-86 being over by T2 at DXB during the 1999 airshow?
Anyway, I recall asking the Ops guys how they salvaged it. I guessed it had taken a large crane - no, just jacks and then they selected the gear lever to "Down".

The PIA had the gear down but if I recall correctly, something broke on the starboard main gear and it went off into the boondocks.

Have they moved the 707 too?

[Anti Skid On]

There's something in a lake in Leicestershire (old prop ? Caravelle or Electra) for dive training.

There is also a plan for an artificial reef to be made at Mount Maunganui here in NZ, to improve the quality of the breakers for surfing; no idea of how they intend to build this, perhaps Air NZ will help;)

[Nopax,thanx]

Apparently an aircraft structure makes a good base for coral to grow upon - being large and open, and in the fullness of time, will disappear under the new growth.

Quite what all the skydrol and old grease does to the ocean in the short term is possibly debatable, but it is seen as a good solution to the erosion of coral reefs.

Not so bad when some old jet is used, but last year a vintage Neptune maritime aircraft was sunk in the States for just this purpose - it was a rare solid nose version too, which made it even worse.....:sad:

[Hot Rod]

Read about the A300 at http://aviation-safety.net/database/2001/011017-0.htm

[AfgAirOps]

Read about the A300 at http://aviation-safety.net/database/2001/011017-0.htm

Pics;

PIA A300 @ DXB (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/227810/L/)

PIA B747 @ DXB (http://members.lycos.co.uk/flypia/malfunction.jpg)

[newswatcher]

An article in one of the weekend papers suggested that a 707 would be sunk off the second Palm Island near Jebel Ali, as a base for a divers' reef. This may, or may not, be the same plan as previously mentioned by BahrainLad.