Cessna 172 makes emergency ice landing in Hudson; two swim ashore

A single-engine Cessna 172 that departed Long Island MacArthur Airport made an emergency landing in the Hudson River near Newburgh shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, and the pilot and a passenger escaped the aircraft, swam to shore and were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, officials said.

Local firefighters and emergency medical crews were dispatched after a distress call, and initial radio traffic described the craft as "in the ice" and inaccessible by boat. "The plane is currently in the ice. It has not been tied up. We can't get to it at this time. And our boat can't be launched to get to it," a dispatcher said. Responders located the plane a few minutes later in waters off Newburgh, roughly 60 to 62 miles north of Manhattan, and found both people already on shore.

The Middle Hope Fire Department, which posted a scene update, said the occupants "were able to safely extricate themselves and swim to shore." Town of Newburgh Emergency Medical Services evaluated both people at the scene before transporting them to a nearby hospital. Names have not been released and officials described the injuries as minor; Gov. Kathy Hochul said the pair "are expected to make a full recovery."

Hochul posted on X to thank first responders, writing, "Thank God both the pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that performed an ice landing near Newburgh have been located with only minor injuries," and added, "Grateful to our first responders for their quick actions." U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan said he was "closely monitoring reports of a small plane making an emergency landing near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge."

Accounts place the aircraft in the mid-Hudson region east of Stewart International Airport and near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, an area that includes New Windsor and the City of Newburgh. The Cessna 172, a common single-engine general aviation aircraft, had taken off from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma/Islip, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into the incident and has not released information on what forced the pilot to attempt the emergency landing.

Emergency crews faced icy water and floating river ice at the scene, which temporarily limited rescue options and prevented boats from launching immediately. Middle Hope reported that after initial search efforts and the discovery of the craft, the scene was turned over to City of Newburgh officials and Middle Hope returned to service.

The incident drew immediate comparisons to the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson" because both involved water landings on the Hudson River, though officials emphasized that the two passengers here escaped and reached shore on their own before responders accessed the aircraft. Authorities will include the aircraft's maintenance and flight path, weather and pilot reports in the FAA review before determining probable cause.