A peaceful rafting trip in Montana turned into a surreal spectacle when giant airplane fuselages came tumbling into the river.
In July 2014, rafters floated down the Clark Fork River, enjoying the calm of steep canyon walls and the hum of nature. Nearby, a freight train rumbled along the mountainside, carrying a load unlike any other: several massive Boeing 737 fuselages, painted bright green for protection, destined for a Boeing factory.
Suddenly, disaster struck. Six train cars derailed, sending three airplane fuselages crashing down the rocky slope. The enormous aircraft sections tore through trees, smashed rocks, and plunged directly into the river right beside the stunned rafters. For a few surreal moments, it looked like a scene straight out of a movie.
Miraculously, no one was injured. Recovery crews later lifted the fuselages with cranes, and photos of the half-submerged green airplanes quickly went viral online. For the rafters, the incident became a story they would never forget the day a quiet Montana river trip became a front-row seat to one of the most bizarre industrial accidents in recent memory.