The pilot of a small plane that crashed into the Hudson River on Monday evening told air traffic control that the engine had lost power just minutes before making an emergency landing on the frigid water and swimming to shore with his passenger.
“I think I may have to put it in the water,” the pilot said during the emergency call, according to audio obtained by News 12 Hudson Valley.
“We’ve lost our engine,” he added. Despite the dangerous situation, his voice remained calm and decisive.
“Yeah, we’re going to go into the Hudson River… I don’t think we’re going to make the airport,” he said.
The pilot reported the plane still had “a little bit of power” and would head toward the west bank of the river. Air traffic controllers reassured him that rescue crews were on the way.
The pilot and passenger, whose identities have not been released, miraculously survived after the plane went down near Newburgh at around 8 p.m.
The two escaped the wreckage and swam through the frigid water to shore. They then walked to a heated boathouse along the river, where they changed into dry clothes they found before rescue crews located them, according to officials who spoke to The Post.
Both suffered only minor injuries and even joked about the outfits they were wearing before being taken to a local hospital for examination and treatment, an emergency services official said.
