Probe Underway Into Fatal River Crash of Vintage WWII Plane
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials are expected to begin the task of raising the wreckage of a vintage World War II plane that crashed into the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, killing the pilot.
Authorities are expected to work Saturday at lifting the single-seat plane, a P-47 Thunderbolt that crashed Friday. The American Airpower Museum is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the P-47 Thunderbolt this weekend.
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New York police say that scuba divers recovered the body of the pilot, identified as 56-year-old William Gordon, of Key West, Florida, about three hours after the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft, which went down near the George Washington Bridge around 7:30 p.m., was among three planes that had departed from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, on Long Island, just east of New York City. The other two aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
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