NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Hudson River Plane Crash

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — Federal investigators have shed some light on the emergency landing of a single-engine aircraft into the Hudson River, earlier this month.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report on the crash that took place moments after the plane lost power en route to Stewart International Airport in Orange County.

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Investigators said the Cessna 172N, N1560E, was "substantially" damaged when it crashed near Newburgh on March 2. The flight instructor and student pilot reported minor injuries.

The airplane was operated as an instructional flight at the time of the crash.

The flight instructor reported that after performing a touch-and-go landing at New York Stewart International Airport (SWF), the engine was not producing the normal rpm. When he leaned across the cockpit to view the engine gauges, he saw the oil pressure was indicating zero. He then declared an emergency with air traffic control and asked to return directly to the airport. The engine then began to run extremely rough before it lost total power.

He took over the controls from the student pilot and determined that the airplane would not be able to reach the airport. He then chose to land in the Hudson River, close to the western shore, at the area with the most lighting.

The flight instructor ditched the airplane among broken patches of ice and struck some submerged structures, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane's fuselage.

The pilots extricated themselves from the airplane and were able to reach the shore. The airplane sank until the wings were awash, but remained largely afloat, and was recovered the following day.

The wreckage was retained for further examination, according to the NTSB. The NTSB did not travel to the scene of the accident, according to the report.