Pilot killed as vintage World War Two plane crashes into Hudson River

Jamie Bullen28 May 2016

A pilot was killed when a vintage World War Two plane crashed in the Hudson River in New York.

The single-seater P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft went down a few miles south of the George Washington Bridge at around 7.30pm on Friday.

The crash sparked a huge emergency rescue response as half a dozen police and fire boats trawled the river to search for passengers.

Police in New York said the body of a man, believed to be the pilot, was recovered from the submerged plane three hours later.

He has been identified as 56-year-old William Gordon of Key West, Florida.

Student Siqi Li, who witnessed the crash, told New York’s Daily News: “It made kind of a U-turn, and then there was a stream of smoke coming from it.”

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash with engine failure cited as a possibility.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was one of three that took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York, to celebrate Fleet Week – a US military celebration.

The remaining two aircraft returned safely to the airport.

In 2009, an airliner with 155 passengers and crew made an emergency landing in the river in what became known as the "Miracle on the Hudson".

Pilot Chesley Sullenberger was hailed a national hero after he steered the US Airways flight to safety after the plane struck a flock of geese.

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