Two People Recover After Dramatic Hudson River Plane Landing

There's been another 'Miracle on the Hudson' after a small plane crashed into the icy waters.

A Cessna 172N made an emergency landing in the frigid waters of the Hudson River near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and the two people on board had to swim to safety.

Luckily, both walked away from the ordeal and are now recovering.

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From Training Flight to Mayday

The flight started as a routine training run out of Long Island MacArthur Airport.

The pilot, 31-year-old Liam D’Arcy from Southampton, NY, and his 17-year-old student from Locust Valley were returning from Stewart International Airport when the engine failed.

READ MORE: From Recovery To Icy Plunge on Oneida Lake

Realizing the plane wouldn’t make it back safely, D’Arcy declared a Mayday and guided the aircraft to an emergency landing on an icy section of the river, just 200 feet from the Newburgh shoreline.

Swimming to Safety

Once the plane came to a stop, both the instructor and student swam to shore in the freezing water.

First responders from multiple agencies were on the scene quickly, including local police, fire departments, EMS, and even marine units.

READ MORE: 70 MPH May Be Coming to Certain New York Highways

The duo was transported to a nearby hospital for hypothermia treatment and later released, thankfully with only minor injuries.

Credit - NYS Police
Credit - NYS Police
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Investigation Underway

Preliminary reports show no signs of impairment or criminal activity, and the incident appears accidental.

The New York State Police are working alongside the FAA, NTSB, and Coast Guard to figure out exactly what went wrong.

Captain Sully Sullenberger famously pulled off landing an Airbus on the Hudson in 2009 after birds took out both engines. However, his plane was a little bigger, and there were more than just 2 passengers aboard. Miraculously, all 155 people survived, and that plane is now on display at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in North Carolina.

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Gallery Credit: Traci Taylor