Plane that crashed off Oak Island finds new purpose training CFCC aviation students
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An airplane that made an emergency landing in the ocean off Oak Island last year is getting a second life, helping students at Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) prepare for careers in aviation maintenance.
The aircraft, which experienced engine problems before crashing into the ocean, was donated to CFCC several months after the incident by its former owner, Mark Finkelstein.
The plane was recently moved into a hangar at Wilmington International Airport (ILM), where it will serve as a hands-on learning tool for students in the college’s Aviation General Maintenance Familiarization Program.
Despite damage sustained during the crash and recovery, instructors say the aircraft provides a unique opportunity for students to study its construction and internal components.
“We actually have an airplane that is busted up and damaged. But we can use this damaged area to show cutaways, cross sections, and construction of the aircraft itself,” CFCC instructor Jason Justice said. “And the students will be able to see it instead of looking through drawings or that, they can come out here and see it firsthand.”
Justice said the aircraft will also allow students to examine how exposure to saltwater affects aircraft metals and learn techniques for treating corrosion and other damage.
For Finkelstein, donating the plane was an opportunity to turn a difficult experience into something positive.
“I thought about it sort of like the same concept behind organ donations,” Finkelstein said. “Like, at least part of that plane can live on and help future aircraft mechanics learn from it.”
While the damaged aircraft is already providing valuable educational opportunities, CFCC is still awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to become an authorized aviation maintenance training program.
Once approved, the program would provide another pathway for students interested in pursuing careers in the aviation industry.
