'Nothing short of a miracle.' Two survive crash landing into icy Hudson River
Air traffic control audio captures the pilot declaring an emergency and saying, “We’ve lost our engine… We are going into the Hudson River.”
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A 31-year-old certified flight instructor from Long Island and his 17-year-old student survived a dramatic emergency landing Monday night in the Hudson River.
New York State Police identified the instructor as Liam Darcy, who works for Long Island Flying in Southampton. The teenage student, who was not identified, is from Locust Valley and has been training with Darcy for about a year and a half.
Police say the two departed Long Island MacArthur Airport around 6:30 p.m. for a scheduled night training session. The student was flying for most of the trip, including a stop-and-go maneuver at Stewart International Airport around 7:30 p.m. Shortly after, near West Point, the crew reported engine failure.
Air traffic control audio captures the pilot declaring an emergency and saying, “We’ve lost our engine… We are going into the Hudson River.”
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Investigators say Darcy took control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing on an icy stretch of the Hudson about 200 feet from the City of Newburgh shoreline, roughly 2½ miles south of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
State Police say after impact, both individuals were able to get out of the plane on their own. They walked approximately 150 feet across ice before swimming about 50 feet through frigid water to reach shore.
“The fact they made it to the shoreline is nothing short of a miracle,” said BCI Captain Brad Natalizio. “In my experience working many cases on the Hudson River, it’s not only the cold but the current as well.”
The pair were treated for hypothermia at a local hospital and later released.
Another pilot flying nearby heard the Mayday call and diverted to help locate the aircraft, relaying its position to first responders. Video provided to News 12 shows the plane illuminated and resting on ice in the river shortly after the landing.
Police say the incident appears to be accidental, and there are no signs of criminality.
Approximately 20 gallons of fuel remain inside the aircraft, but officials say there are no signs of leakage.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation and is coordinating removal of the plane from the river. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.
Michael Canders, a flight instructor and associate professor at Farmingdale State College, says situations like these are always dangerous, especially in the water.
He says pilots are trained for different situations but it's always important to be prepared.
"This sounds like a case where this pilot in command, this instructor was ready to do what needed to be done to survive. Flight instruction is about accepting the risk of engine failures or other emergencies and then having the ability to mitigate that risk," says Canders. "It's pretty remarkable that they were able to walk away from this."
