Wreckage washed ashore in Tacoma. Was it a plane or something else?
.jpeg "Metal wreckage washed up along Ruston Way on Tuesday, March 3, was likely from a semi-trailer truck, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A jogger on Ruston Way spotted what appeared to be plane wreckage.
- There was a bold vertical number and remnants of commercial artwork visible.
- The National Transportation Safety Board said it was likely a semi-trailer truck.
Daniel Hardebeck, a retired school teacher, was out for a jog Tuesday morning on Ruston Way when he came across what appeared to be plane wreckage washed up on the shore of Commencement Bay.
The crumpled metal debris, approximately the size of a queen-sized mattress, showed a bold vertical number and remnants of commercial artwork that depicted oranges.
“You do see some interesting things wash up, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Hardebeck told The News Tribune.
Hardebeck, 59, was unsure whether it was a big deal and said he couldn’t easily figure out how to report it to the FAA.
In response, The News Tribune reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is charged with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States.
Peter Knudson, a spokesperson for the NTSB, said he recommended contacting local authorities and noted that the independent federal agency would only get involved if the wreckage was indeed an aircraft.
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, NTSB investigators provided their assessment.
“The wreckage looks more likely to be from a semi truck trailer,” the agency said.
Hardebeck, who’s lived in Point Ruston for three years, deferred to the expert opinion.
“Probably not something we want floating around in the bay,” he said, “but obviously something more common.”
