Eight people were rescued from New York's East River on Sunday morning after a seaplane en route from East Hampton Town to Manhattan was forced to make an emergency landing.
The aircraft, a Kodiak 100 single-engine turboprop operated by Acadian Seaplanes on behalf of Blade Air, was carrying passengers and crew when it began to capsize shortly before midday. Harrowing footage captured the moments inside the plane as alarms sounded and passengers were instructed to put on life jackets.
One passenger, 16-year-old Khloe Todd, who was traveling with her grandmother, Ada Todd, described hearing a "thud" before the plane tilted onto its left side. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, open your life vests," she recalled the pilots announcing. Todd also shared that a man on the plane helped calm other passengers by assuring them they would be alright.
According to Blade Air, the hard landing was attributed to choppy water conditions, possibly exacerbated by passing boats and a prior thunderstorm. The company stated that the impact cracked one of the plane's struts, leading to damage in one of the pontoons.
Emergency services arrived on the scene to assist the passengers and crew, who were seen being assessed by paramedics. Blade Air reported that passengers had their belongings returned about 20 minutes after being brought ashore and were then transported to their final destinations.
The aircraft, registered to Del Air Sky with tail number N555NL, was manufactured in 2022. The incident is under investigation by the NYPD and the Federal Aviation Administration. Khloe Todd indicated that her grandmother sustained a head injury following the crash, noting her grandmother's pre-existing spinal issues.
The flight had departed from East Hampton Town at 10:38 a.m. on Sunday. The exact cause of the pontoon failure remains under investigation.