Photo: Middle Hope Fire Department
A small plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River Monday night (March 2) near Newburgh, New York, but both the pilot and a passenger managed to escape the wreckage and swim to shore safely, authorities said.
The single-engine Cessna 172 had taken off from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma before the pilot was forced to attempt an emergency landing in the river just after 8 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Middle Hope Fire Department said emergency responders were sent to the scene but initially could not locate the aircraft. The plane was spotted a few minutes later in waters off Newburgh, about 62 miles north of Manhattan. The plane later appeared to be sinking beneath ice blocks in the river.
Both occupants freed themselves from the aircraft and swam through the icy water to shore. Newburgh Emergency Medical Services evaluated them at the scene before transporting them to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries. Their names were not released.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul praised the response efforts, calling the rescue "another miracle on the Hudson."
The governor's words echoed the famous "Miracle on the Hudson" of January 2009, when pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger successfully landed a powerless US Airways jet — after it struck a flock of birds and lost power in both engines — in the Hudson River near Manhattan. All 155 people on board were rescued, and Sullenberger was widely hailed as a hero.
The FAA's investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
Video shared on Facebook captured the moment the plane crash landed in the water.