Seaplane from the Hamptons makes hard landing in New York's East River, all 8 aboard rescued
A seaplane arriving from East Hampton struck a wave while landing on the East River near Manhattan on Sunday, partially capsizing. All eight people on board were rescued without serious injury.
The incident
A Kodiak 100 seaplane flying from East Hampton to the Skyport seaplane base at East 23rd Street made a hard landing on the East River around noon on Sunday. The aircraft struck a wave while touching down, causing a wing strut to snap and the plane to partially capsize, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The New York City Fire Department reported that the plane remained upright and was later towed back to a dock.
Rescue operation
Fire Department units removed the pilot, a crew member and at least six passengers from the aircraft. Two people were evaluated for minor injuries, but no serious harm was reported. Police and fire boats, along with another seaplane already on the water, responded within minutes. At least five vessels took part in the operation, and the plane was towed to shore.
Eyewitness account
Marcus Hurlburt, 39, was running along the East River near East 22nd Street when he saw the plane approach the landing zone and clip the water with its left wing.
The pilot did a great job on making sure it didn't turn over.
Hurlburt said he saw at least three people climb onto one of the plane's floats opposite the submerged wing. He compared the pilot's handling to Chesley Sullenberger's 2009 Hudson River landing.
He pulled a Sully on that one. I was so impressed the pilot didn't let it sink.
Investigation
The FAA said it will investigate the hard landing. The cause is not yet clear. The incident follows a separate small-plane crash into the East River near the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens last month, in which no injuries were reported.
