Small airplane makes emergency touchdown in Hudson River, 2 individuals aboard swim to security

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — A small airplane trying an emergency touchdown crashed into the frigid Hudson River, however the pilot and a passenger escaped the wreckage and safely swam to shore, authorities stated.

The crash occurred Monday evening, shortly after the single-engine Cessna 172 took off from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Emergency responders have been dispatched to the reported crash website however initially couldn’t find the plane, the Middle Hope Fire Department reported. However, the airplane was noticed a couple of minutes later in waters off Newburgh, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Manhattan.

The pilot and a passenger have been being handled at a hospital for undisclosed minor accidents. Their names weren’t launched.

It’s not clear what brought on the reason for the crash, which is underneath investigation by the FAA.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul praised the efforts of the responders, calling the rescue “another miracle on the Hudson,” a reference to the January 2009 crash the place a US Airways jet hit a flock of birds and misplaced energy in each engines shortly after takeoff. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was hailed as a hero after he landed the powerless airplane within the Hudson River and all 155 individuals on board have been rescued.

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The story has been up to date to appropriate the spelling of Newburgh within the dateline.