Newburgh: A small plane trying to make an emergency landing crashed into the frozen Hudson River, but the pilot and a passenger survived the wreckage and swam safely to shore, authorities said. The accident occurred Monday night, shortly after the single-engine Cessna 172 plane took off from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Middle Hope Fire Department said emergency responders were dispatched to the reported crash site, but were initially unable to locate the plane. However, the plane was spotted a few minutes later in the waters off Newburgh, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Manhattan.
The pilot and one of the passengers are receiving treatment in hospital for undetected minor injuries. Their names were not revealed. It is unclear what caused the accident, which is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. New York Governor Kathy Hochul praised the efforts of responders, calling the rescue “another miracle on the Hudson,” referring to the January 2009 crash of an American Airlines plane that struck a flock of birds and lost power in both engines shortly after takeoff. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was hailed as a hero after he crash-landed the vulnerable plane into the Hudson River and all 155 people on board were rescued.
