FAA investigates seaplane hard landing in East River, 8 rescued

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a hard landing by a Kodiak 100 seaplane in the East River, where eight people aboard were rescued after the aircraft’s wing strut snapped and the plane came to rest partially submerged off Midtown Manhattan.

The FAA said the seaplane hit the water at about noon local time on Sunday, July 5, near East 23rd Street and the FDR Drive, by the East 23rd Street Skyport terminal. Air traffic control was not providing services to the aircraft, the agency said, as officials begin sorting out the flight path, the landing and the condition of the plane before impact.

FDNY units pulled all eight occupants from the aircraft. At least two people suffered minor injuries and were treated by FDNY emergency medical technicians. The plane, which was upright but leaning to one side after striking choppy water, was later towed back to a dock.

Accounts of the flight said the seaplane had taken off from East Hampton earlier in the day with six passengers and two crew members. One of the passengers, a 16-year-old traveling with her grandmother, filmed the moment the plane crashed into the river before she and the others were rescued. Her account underscored how quickly the landing turned dangerous in the crowded waterway along the East Side.

The incident is drawing attention because it comes only three weeks after another seaplane problem in New York waters. On June 13, a seaplane went down near Whitestone, Queens, and FDNY crews removed a pilot and one passenger without injuries reported. Two water emergencies in such a short span are likely to keep attention on how small aircraft are managed over the city’s rivers and approaches, especially when flights are operating without active air traffic control services.

For investigators, the snapped wing strut will be central. The FAA has said it will examine the hard landing itself, while the location, the water conditions and the aircraft’s maintenance history are all likely to be part of the review as officials assess whether the latest mishap reflects a one-off landing error or a broader safety problem in New York’s seaplane operations.