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Seaplane Crashes Near East River Ferry Terminal

Crash
The plane's port side wing submerged as it slows to a stop (via social media)

Published Jul 5, 2026 11:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Sunday, a seaplane made a hard landing in the East River, damaging the aircraft and prompting a rapid SAR response from the New York Police Department and New York Fire Department.  

At about noon on Sunday, a Kodiak 100 commuter plane was arriving from the Hamptons and coming in for a landing near the East River ferry terminal at 23rd Street. The plane's floats made contact with the surface, hit a wave and skipped upward, causing the aircraft to bounce off the water. This happened again a second time within several seconds, and then again. 

On the third contact with the water's surface, one if the Kodiak's wing struts snapped, and the port-side wing dipped into the water, followed by the propeller. Luckily the plane did not pitchpole or tumble in the rapid deceleration, and it came safely to a stop. 

Another seaplane was among the first responders, but New York emergency services personnel were on scene within minutes. All eight people on board were safely rescued by the FDNY, and efforts transitioned to securing the wreckage of the aircraft. No serious injuries were reported. 

The Quest Kodiak 100 is a single-engined turboprop with seating for 10. Designed for rough airfields and short takeoffs, it can be converted to use seaplane floats and is often seen in this configuration in commercial service.