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Sea plane makes hard landing into the East River Sunday afternoon

By

Ramsey Khalifeh

Published Jul 5, 2026

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Photo of seaplane in the East River with wing dipping into the water

 

Getty Images

By

Ramsey Khalifeh

Published Jul 5, 2026

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A sea plane made a hard landing into the East River on Sunday, but all eight passengers were safely rescued, according to the NYPD.

Police said at around 12:03 p.m., a sea plane made a hard landing into the waterway and slowly began tilting into the water. It landed near FDR Drive and East 23rd St.

Officials said eight passengers, including two crew members, were rescued. One person suffered minor injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it’s begun to investigate the incident. In a statement, it said that the plane was a Kodiak 100 seaplane, and that a wing strut, which connects the wing to the main body of the aircraft, snapped.

Tagged

east river

faa

seaplane

Ramsey Khalifeh

Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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