The flight from the Hamptons to Manhattan was to be the easiest part of the return after the long weekend of 4 July: a half hour low over Long Island, then the arrival on the East River, in front of the Skyport of East 23rd Street. On Sunday, July 5, shortly after noon, a Kodiak 100 hydroplane landed strongly on the water, tilted on one side and left one of the partially submerged wings. On board there were eight people, between passengers and crew. They were all recovered; two reported minor injuries.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane made a “hard landing”, that is a very rough landing, quite violent to break one of the pillars of the wing, the structure that connects and supports the wing compared to the fuselage. The plane was headed to Skyport, the terminal for hydroplanes on the east bank of Manhattan, at the height of the 23rd street and the FDR Drive. The authorities are investigating the dynamics: from the first reconstructions, the hydroplane would have touched the water in moved conditions, hitting a wave during the final phase of the landing.
Among the passengers were Ada Todd, 75 years old, and the 16-year-old nephew Khloe Todd. They had been in East Hampton and had chosen the airplant to avoid returning by car, a fairly common decision for those who can afford rapid connections between Manhattan and the Hamptons. Blade, the company from which they bought the tickets, promotes that route as an alternative to traffic, with flights between Manhattan and the $795 Hamptons in place and duration indicated in 39 minutes. The flight, according to the reconstructions available, was operated by Acadian Seaplanes.
The most delicate moment lasted little. In a video shot from the inside of the cabin you feel the impact on the water, then the suspension of the plane and the voices of the passengers. The pilot launched a mayday while the hydroplane remained in the water, inclined but not reversed. If the plane had overturned, the evacuation would have been more complicated. On the other hand, some people managed to get on the floats, while rescue boats approached.
The response of the rescue was very quick. FDNY and NYPD arrived with emergency boats, along with some private boats that were already in the area. The plane was then put in place and pulled towards the pier. The East River, despite its name, is not quite a river: it is a tide strait, crossed by currents, ferries, tourist boats and commercial traffic. For a hydroplane, this means that water can change a lot in a few minutes, especially when the wind, waves and skies of the boats are added in the same stretch.
Some witnesses compared the pilot to Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who in 2009 killed an Airbus A320 on Hudson after the impact with a flock of birds, saving all 155 people on board. And it can be, since in New York that scene has become iconic, and every similar incident immediately reports back to that moment.
L’articolo The Ended Airplane in the East River proviene da IlNewyorkese.
