[Jeff Higgins]

These things really are a lot like our cars when we start talking money, recovery costs, repair costs, and stuff like that. The insurance company pretty much has the last say. If the recovery/repair bill exceeds the value of the airplane, it won't get repaired. They will part it out, just like a car. Obviously it does need to be removed, but if they are not going to try to repair it, that opens up a lot more options. A lot of the valuable parts are already damaged, though, so there might be little money in it, no matter how many Craigslist ads they run.

I do remember one repair that exceeded the value of the aircraft. The carrier decided to do it anyway, simply because the next delivery slot for a replacement was too far out to meet their requirements. Sometimes their route and schedule commitments overrule, and they pay the difference after the insurance company totals it.

So, yeah, any of you that are in the market for a salvage titled 737, um - "buyer beware". They'll wash the title through a few third world countries, and it will show up on "Bring a Trailer" for cheap. Probably with "freshly rebuilt" engines from Jet Engine Meister...