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A seaplane snapped its pontoon struts when it made a hard landing in New York City’s East River around noon on Sunday, July 5. There were six passengers and two pilots aboard. All were rescued, with only two minor injuries reported, according to FL360aero.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Kodiak 100. It was towed to the seaplane dock by a New York Fire Department boat after all passengers had been evacuated. The FAA and NYPD are investigating the accident.
A Hard Landing On The East River
The Daily Mail reported the plane, tail number N555NL, had departed from Long Island’s East Hampton at 10:38 AM before the mishap. After the passengers were helped to shore, the two injured flyers were offered medical aid but declined. The carrier arranged for all baggage to be transferred within 20 minutes of the hard landing and arranged car service for the travelers to reach their final destinations.
Sunday’s mishap follows another seaplane accident that occurred three weeks ago when a large wave damaged a two-seater trying to take off. NBC 4 News shared a video of the plane passing in close proximity to a helicopter just before touchdown. After the plane was on the water, the fuselage cabin can be seen resting on the pontoon with the left wing partially submerged. In that condition, the aircraft was towed to the seaplane base located at the docks near 23rd Street.
A hard landing is defined as touching down with an excessively fast descent rate per manufacturer limitations. However, since the river is not a static surface like a runway, an investigation will be needed to determine if pilot error or environmental factors were the primary cause. The aircraft was being flown by Acadian Seaplanes on behalf of Blade Air at the time of the incident. A source from Blade gave this statement to the Daily Mail:
“There were a lot of ferries in the vicinity, and there may have been wind at the last second. The waves they create can be a problem as you try to land on the water.”
Hazardous Waters For New York Seaplanes
NYC’s East River is widely considered a hazardous marine environment for seaplane operations due to its dangerous mix of heavy vessel traffic, narrow geography, and erratic tidal currents. Each aircraft suffered similar structural damage on Sunday’s hard landing and the takeoff mishap on June 13 near the Throggs Neck Bridge and Whitestone, Queens. Fortunately, there were no injuries in the earlier accident either.
The water in the East River becomes choppy frequently due to the effects of fast commuter ferries interacting with the tidal flows that connect Long Island Sound to New York Harbor. The tide changes direction completely multiple times a day based on the ocean tides. Since the narrow tidal strait is flanked by many concrete seawalls, the fast currents are not able to dissipate within the river.
Seaplanes must land and take off directly into the wind to generate lift over the wings. However, if the current is moving rapidly in a different direction than the wind, the plane’s floats experience asymmetrical drag. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to a powerful veer off course that may cause a wing strike or even capsizing.
How Should New York City’s Aviation Capacity Problems Be Solved?
As one of America’s main hubs for transport, tourism, and business, New York is truly a city that never sleeps. However, with its primary commercial airports (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark) being correspondingly very busy, the Big Apple’s airspace is congested. However, as Simple Flying recently explored, while a new airport has been proposed over the years, such a project is ultimately seen as unfeasible. As such, what do you think would be the best alternative way to ease New York City’s aviation congestion and capacity issues?
It’s a long shot from left field, but I personally wonder if opening the nearby private/general aviation-focused Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey to regional traffic would be a good way of spreading the region’s air traffic. This could function similarly to how Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) provides backup capacity to the larger and busier Dulles Airport (IAD) in Washington DC. What do you think? Is New York’s airspace too busy? Let us know your thou
Hitting Choppy Waters In The Kodiak 100
The Daher Kodiak 100 is a modern, high-wing, short takeoff and landing turboprop. It has a cruise speed of roughly 175 knots and was originally engineered as a rugged bush plane. After seaplane conversion, it is equipped with Aerocet 6650 amphibious composite floats. The plane was built in 2022 and is currently registered to Del Air Sky, according to FlightAware data.
The Kodiak 100 is built with a non-pressurized cabin configured to fit up to nine or ten people. It is powered by the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 engine, one of the most prolific turboprop engines ever produced. The pontoons are rated for 6,666 lbs (3,024 kg) of buoyancy per float, with a maximum flotation capacity of 7,406 lbs (3,359 kg). Each float contains nine watertight compartments and three storage bays.
