OCEAN CITY — The remains of the small private plane that crashed into the ocean on June 30, claiming the lives of two Ocean City police officers, was raised from the ocean floor last Thursday and brought by barge to the commercial harbor in West Ocean City.
On Sunday, June 30, a small Nanchang CJ-6A plane piloted by OCPD Officer Tom Geoghegan with Pfc. Joshua Adickes on board crashed into the ocean just off the beach at 130th Street, claiming the lives of the two officers. The victims were removed from the plane on the bottom of the ocean about a quarter mile offshore the next day, but the prevailing choppy seas, strong currents and low visibility prevented salvage crews from raising the wrecked plane for a few days.
Last Thursday, July 4, a window of decent conditions allowed the salvage team, led by Greg Hall and Tow Boat U.S. Maryland out of the West Ocean City harbor, to retrieve the plane from the ocean floor and place it in pieces on a barge. The barge then transported the wreckage to the commercial harbor in West Ocean City where it was carefully loaded onto a flatbed truck. The wreckage was then transported to an undisclosed location where National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators will examine the plane and attempt to determine just what went wrong.
Services were held for one of the two fallen officers this week in New Jersey. Adickes was originally from Long Valley, N.J. and services were held in Schooleys Mountain, N.J. on Tuesday. Geoghegan, was originally from Annapolis and funeral services were scheduled for Friday morning at 11 a.m. at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. However, a second viewing and funeral service for Geoghegan is set for this afternoon at the Ocean Pines Community Church on Racetrack Rd. Friends and family can call from 4-6 p.m. and the funeral service will be held immediately following the viewing.
Meanwhile, the community will have several opportunities throughout the month of July to support the families of the fallen officers with a series of fundraising events at the Hooter’s in West Ocean City. Beginning last Friday and continuing for each Friday in July, the local “Hogs and Heroes” group is hosting an event at the West Ocean City Hooter’s from 6-9 p.m. All proceeds raised during the Friday events will be donated to the families of Geoghegan and Adickes.