A small plane from Long Island plunged into the icy Hudson River on Monday night while attempting to make an emergency landing — and the pilot and passenger miraculously escaped by swimming through frigid waters to safety, according to authorities.
The Cessna 172 with two people on board crashed into the Hudson east of New York Stewart International Airport around 8 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration told The Post.
The small plane took off from Long Island MacArthur Airport just before 7 p.m. and crashed in the Hudson River near New York Stewart International Airport about an hour later. Middle Hope Fire Dept.The small, single-engine plane flying from a Long Island airport was near the southbound side of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge when it reportedly lost power and plummeted into the river, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus told News 12.
Emergency responders were initially unable to locate the plane, but ultimately found it in Newburgh — where photos showed the aircraft submerged among blocks of floating ice in the Hudson River, according to the Middle Hope Fire Department.
The pilot and passenger survived the initial impact, then evacuated the plane and swam to shore in the freezing waters, fire officials said.
The two occupants miraculously escaped the plane and swam to shore in the frigid waters. Middle Hope Fire Dept.They were both taken to local hospitals and are expected to make a full recovery, Neuhaus said on Facebook.
Data from Flightradar24 showed that the privately owned plane left from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma around 6:55 p.m. and crashed into the major waterway about an hour later.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the safe rescue of the two people “another miracle on the Hudson” in a post on X late Monday.
(Hochul was referring to the January 2009 “miracle on the Hudson” crash, when a jetliner lost both engines shortly after takeoff. All 160 people aboard survived, thanks largely to the pilot’s amazing landing in the river.)
“Thank God both the pilot and passenger of a single-engine plane that performed an ice landing near Newburgh have been located with only minor injuries,” she wrote.
US Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) also posted on X that his office has been closely monitoring reports of the crash.
“I’m in touch with officials on the ground, who have shared that both passengers are safely out of the water & have been evacuated by EMS,” he said.
“Incredibly grateful for our Hudson Valley first responders who are responding swiftly and put their lives on the line to keep others safe.”
The FAA will investigate the incident, including its cause.
