A seaplane carrying 10 people crashed into New York City’s East River on Sunday, with emergency responders rushing to the scene, videos show. Footage of the river shows the plane bobbing in the water with one wing submerged as rescue crews work to get the passengers out.
Video recorded inside a seaplane has captured the moment the aircraft made a hard landing. The Kodiak 100 seaplane was carrying eight people, including the pilot, when it struck the water shortly after midday on Sunday as it approached the Skyport Seaplane Base near East 23rd Street and FDR Drive.
The footage shows the aircraft hitting the river with a loud impact before being rocked by choppy water. Passengers can be heard gasping, followed by nervous laughter, as the plane comes to a stop.
Several passengers are heard saying, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” as emergency sirens sound in the background. The New York Police Department (NYPD) said the aircraft made a “hard landing” and “tilted into the water”. All eight occupants were rescued safely.
JUST IN: Plane crashes in East River NYC pic.twitter.com/iVy32KuH2V
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Officials gave differing accounts of the number of injuries. An NYPD spokesperson said one person sustained minor injuries, while the New York Fire Department (FDNY) said two civilians suffered minor injuries.
Fire officials said the aircraft remained upright in the water and was later towed back to the dock.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the hard landing caused a wing strut to snap and confirmed it is investigating the incident. Air traffic control audio reviewed by CNN captured an NYPD helicopter alerting emergency responders.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday. Plane down in the water,” the helicopter pilot said, before adding: “It looks like the pilot is OK.”
According to The New York Times, the aircraft had departed from East Hampton and was flying to the Skyport seaplane base on Manhattan’s East Side.
Witness Marcus Hurlburt told the newspaper he saw at least three people climb onto one of the aircraft’s floats after the landing.
“The pilot did a great job on making sure it didn’t turn over,” he said. “He pulled a Sully on that one. I was so impressed the pilot didn’t let it sink.”
The incident comes weeks after another seaplane accident in the East River on 13 June, when emergency crews rescued a pilot and a passenger after a wave struck the aircraft during take-off. No serious injuries were reported in that incident.