The DC-8 that landed safely in San Francisco Bay

Art Frisch/Chronicle 1968 (click to enlarge)


Peter Covert/Special to the Chronicle (click to enlarge)


U.S. Coast Guard Photo/Special to the Chronicle (click to enlarge)


Gordon Peters/Chronicle 1968 (click to enlarge)


Here's a story I ran across over at The San Francisco Chronicle's blog called "The Poop" about a 1968 Japan Air Lines flight from Tokyo to San Francisco by way of Honolulu that landed about three miles short of the runway at San Francisco International Airport. It seems that no one was injured, and in fact, no one even got wet because the plane landed on a slightly submerged bit of ground.

According to passengers, the landing was fairly gentle (considering the circumstances, I presume.) Everyone was evacuated, and the plane was immediately removed from the water by a salvage company. Japan Air Lines had the DC-8 refurbished(!) and continued to use it until the '80's, when it was sold, and used for several more years.

Anyhow, check out the original article at The Poop and another article on the incident at Burrito Justice.

Thanks, The Poop!
and thanks, Reddit!