NEW YORK — A light aircraft departing from Long Island crashed into the frigid waters of the Hudson River on Monday night (March 2) while attempting an emergency landing. The pilot and passenger escaped after swimming to shore amidst the freezing current. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Cessna 172 carrying two people went down in the Hudson River, east of New York Stewart International Airport, at around 8:00 p.m. The aircraft took off from the Long Island MacArthur Airport area in Ronkonkoma at approximately 6:55 p.m. ET. Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus stated that the plane was flying near the area south of the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge when it suddenly lost engine power, similar to other emergency landing incidents, before plunging into the river. Rescue teams initially struggled to locate the aircraft. Later, the plane was discovered in the Newburgh area, submerged among floating ice on the river's surface, according to the Middle Hope Fire Department. Both people on board survived the impact, exited the cockpit, and swam to shore through the icy river. They were transported to a local hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. New York Governor Kathy Hochul called it “another miracle on the Hudson,” referring to the 2009 event when a passenger plane made an emergency landing on the river and all passengers survived. Congressman Pat Ryan (D-NY) stated that his office is closely monitoring the situation and confirmed that both victims were transported by EMS and luckily escaped death safely. The FAA announced it will conduct an investigation into the cause of the incident.

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