A seaplane carrying eight people made a rough landing in New York City's East River on Sunday, alarming bystanders and resulting in two minor injuries, according to city authorities.
Incident Details
The seaplane made a “hard landing” at about noon, according to the New York City fire department. The plane remained upright and was towed back to dock, the department said. Images shared on social media show a white plane leaning over on its side with the tip of its left wing in the water as a helicopter circled overhead.
Two passengers received treatment for minor injuries, according to local news outlet WABC. One of those passengers, 75-year-old Ada Todd, told the outlet from the hospital that she remained “in shock, in lots of pain, but happy to be alive”.
Aircraft and Investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the seaplane involved was a Kodiak 100. The hard landing caused “a swing strut to snap”, and “air traffic control was not providing services to the aircraft”, the FAA stated. The FAA is investigating the incident.
CBS News published a video from a 16-year-old passenger that captured the moment the aircraft slammed into the river. The teen was traveling with her grandmother. CBS also released a recording of a radio transmission from a New York police helicopter responding to the scene: “Mayday, mayday, mayday – we have a plane down on the water,” the pilot said.
Flight Origin
WABC reported that the seaplane was coming from the Long Island town of East Hampton.
