Hudson River Plane Crash: Vintage WWII Plane Goes Down, Killing Pilot

A vintage WWII era plane crashed into the Hudson River on Friday, killing the pilot onboard, authorities said.

The NYPD confirmed that the body of the pilot was recovered from the sunken aircraft, a World War II-era P-47 Thunderbolt that went down about two miles south of the George Washington Bridge. The pilot was identified as William Gordon, 56, of Key West, Fla.

Authorities responded to the report of a small, non-commercial aircraft going down into the Hudson River near West New York and the 79 Street Boat Basin in New York City at 7:29 p.m, police said.

New Jersey Troopers were on the scene of the accident near West New York in Hudson County along with State Police helicopters and boats. Two NJSP divers were in the water searching for possible survivors late Friday and early Saturday.

Here is the crash caught on video, provided by NBC New York:

The aircraft, which belonged to American Airpower Museum, was scheduled to perform at the Jones Beach Air Show in Bethpage, N.Y.. The plane was on a photo flight with at least two other planes along the river when there was some kind of mechanical issue.

In a statement posted online, the Jones Beach Air Show, wrote that the show will continue as planned, but with heavy hearts.

We are saddened by the news that the WWII P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft crashed over the Hudson last night. The pilot was a friend to us all and we send our deepest sympathy to his family and our friends at the American Air Power Museum. The Bethpage Air Show will continue as planned, but with heavy hearts.

The Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach is one of the largest events on Long Island. Kicking off every Memorial Day Weekend, this event attracts thousands of Long Islanders to our beautiful South Shore beaches to celebrate the beginning of summer, and shine a light on military families as well as honoring those who serve our country. For our 13th year, we are excited to welcome back the United States Navy Blue Angels, and many other world-class military and civilian performers who are sure to excite and thrill the community with high flying stunts and gravity maneuvers that never disappoint.

A spokesman for the American Airpower Museum told the New York Times that the 1944 plane had flown twice earlier on Friday with no issues and had been consistently free of troubles. At the time of the crash, the plane was being photographed as part of a promotional shoot for the Jones Beach air show.

Diners at Waterside Restaurant in North Bergen told NBC New York that they saw the small vintage plane appear to start landing, then suddenly plunge into the water nose first.

An army corps of engineer was expected to lift the plane out of the water. 

Photo, video courtesy of NBC New York.