Second world war plane crashes into New York's Hudson river

A vintage second world war plane taking part in celebrations of its 75th anniversary crashed in the Hudson river between New York and New Jersey on Friday, killing the pilot, police and witnesses said.

The single-seat plane, a P-47 Thunderbolt, crashed after completing a partial loop. Witnesses said smoke could be seen bellowing from the aircraft.

The crash occurred near George Washington Bridge, close to the site where a US Airways commercial jet carrying 155 people splash-landed safely in 2009 in what became known as the Miracle on the Hudson.

A witness to the P-47 Thunderbolt crash, Siqi Li, saw smoke spewing from the plane and thought it was doing a trick.

“It made kind of a U-turn, and then there was a stream of smoke coming from it,” Li told the Daily News. “It was tilting down toward the water. I thought they were doing some sort of trick. I didn’t realise it at first, but it was a plane crash.”

Scuba divers recovered the body of a 56-year-old man from the submerged plane about three hours later, police said. He was identified as William Gordon, of Key West, Florida.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the P-47 Thunderbolt was among three planes that had departed from Republic airport in Farmingdale, on Long Island, just east of New York City. The other two aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely.

The American Airpower Museum is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the P-47 Thunderbolt this weekend. A museum spokesman, Gary Lewi, said the plane was kept at the museum and was taking part in an airshow at nearby Jones Beach this weekend.

“Apparently the aircraft suffered an inflight engine failure,” Lewi said. “I’m told the aircraft is at the bottom of the Hudson.”

The three planes, the P-47, a P-40 and a photo plane, had been flying over the Hudson to shoot promotional material for the Jones Beach airshow, Lewi said.

The P47-Thunderbolts were the heaviest single-engine fighter planes used by Allied forces in the second world war. They first went into service in 1942, with the 56th Fighter Group based on Long Island.

The one that crashed in the river flew periodically, including to other airshows, Lewi said.

sourced: the guardian international