It looks like the worse air disaster ever - but luckily this was just the scene when a train carrying Boeing 737 fuselages derailed
- Crews to work on Sunday to remove the Boeing 737 fuselages that fell into the Clark Fork River, Montana on Thursday
- Nineteen railway cars derailed and sent three fuselages hurtling into the river
- No one was injured and the cause of the accident is under investigation
Looking like a scene from a Hollywood disaster movie, crews will attempt on Sunday to remove three Boeing 737 fuselages that tumbled down a steep bank and into the Clark Fork River in western Montana after a train derailed.
Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost said Saturday that it's unclear the type of challenge involved because it's the first time the company has faced such a task.
No one was injured when 19 cars from a westbound train derailed Thursday about 10 miles west of Alberton. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.
Crash: Three Boeing 737 fuselages lie on an embankment on the Clark Fork River after a BNSF Railway Co train derailed Thursday near Rivulet, Montana in this picture taken July 4, 2014
Huge accident: Three Boeing 737 fuselages lie on an embankment on the Clark Fork River after a BNSF Railway Co train derailed Thursday near Rivulet, Montana in this picture taken July 4, 2014
Boeing said a BNSF Railway train loaded with six 737 narrowbody fuselages and assemblies for its 777 and 747 widebody jets derailed in Montana while en route from Wichita on Thursday.
A total of 19 cars in the 90-car train derailed in the incident about 18 miles (30 km) east of Superior, Montana, said Rail Link Montana. The rail company links with BNSF to carry freight from Billings in southern Montana through the state to Spokane, Washington where it links back to BNSF.
Of the derailed cars, three cars carrying 737 plane fuselages went down an embankment and into the Clark Fork River.
Spirit Aerosystems, based in Wichita, Kansas, builds all of Boeing's 737 fuselages and Boeing currently produces 42 finished 737s a month.
Recovery: Three Boeing 737 fuselages lie on an embankment on the Clark Fork River after a BNSF Railway Co train derailed Thursday near Rivulet, Montana
Derailed: The train wreckage of 3 boeing 737 fuselages on the Clark Fork River in Montana and one pictured at the top still on the train tracks
Millions of dollars: River rafters floating past the fuselages of three Boeing aircraft sitting near or in the Clark Fork River after the Montana Rail Link train they were being transported on derailed near Missoula, Montana
Dwarfed: Boaters passing the fuselages of three Boeing aircraft sitting near or in the Clark Fork River after the Montana Rail Link train they were being transported on derailed near Missoula, Montana
So the six fuselages involved in Thursday's derailment represent 14 percent of Boeing's monthly production of 737s.
The cause of the derailment was not yet known, said Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost, but added that speed was not considered to be an issue.
There is a 35 mph speed limit on that section of the track, which is curvy as it tracks the Clark Fork, she said.
The line was being reopened on Saturday afternoon, Frost said. There were no injuries in the accident.
Boeing said it had experts at the scene 'to begin a thorough assessment of the situation.'
Massive: In total nineteen cars were pushed off the tracks in Alberton on Thursday afternoon, Montana's KRTV reported
Montana Rail Link had called in three contractors to undertake the recovery of the derailed cars, Frost said, but she did not have details of the state of the freight in the derailed cars.
Montana Rail Link, a privately-held company, is investigating the cause of the accident.
Spirit said it was working closely with Boeing following the incident.
'We are confident that, working together, we will overcome whatever challenges may be presented,' the company said in a statement.
Video grab of the train wreckage of 3 boeing 737 fuselages on the Clark Fork River in Montana and one pictured at the top still on the train tracks
Spirit shut down temporarily in April 2012 after a tornado severed power lines and damaged buildings in the region.
At the time, Boeing said its production system had a cushion to help it handle those disruptions.
The train also was carrying fuselage panels for the 777, and a leading edge flight surface for the 747, the company said.
'Our team of experts is assessing the damage,' Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said in a statement on Saturday.
'Once we determine the extent of damage we will assess what, if any, impact there will be to production.'
Boeing reported on Thursday that it delivered 342 jetliners in the first half of the year, including 239 737s, a brisk pace but less than half of its goal of delivering between 715 and 725 jetliners this year.
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