Around midday, a seaplane with eight individuals onboard had to perform an emergency “hard landing,” according to reports from the New York City Fire Department.
NEW YORK — On Sunday, New York’s fire department successfully rescued eight people from the East River following a seaplane’s unscheduled “hard landing” around noon.
Two passengers sustained minor injuries during the incident, but only one accepted medical assistance, as noted in a CBS report shared by the New York City Fire Department.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the incident involved a Kodiak 100 seaplane. The hard landing resulted in a broken wing strut, and the aircraft was not under air traffic control guidance at the time. An investigation into the cause is currently underway.
Photos circulated on social platforms reveal the white plane tilted into the river, its left wing partially submerged while a helicopter buzzed above the scene.
The flight began roughly thirty minutes prior to the hard landing, CNN reported. It took off from an airport in East Hampton around 11:24 a.m. It’s unclear what caused the pilot to land in the river.
No other information is known at this time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.