Posted on 03/04/2026 8:02:36 AM PST by xxqqzz
NEWBURGH, New York (WABC) -- New details have been revealed about the small plane that crashed into the Hudson River on Monday night near Newburgh.
The occupants were identified as 31-year-old Liam D'Arcy, a certified flight instructor, and a 17-year-old male student, officials said. D'Arcy is a flight instructor with Long Island Flying, who has been instructing the student for approximately a year and a half.
The Cessna 172 originated from Long Island MacArthur Airport around 6:30 p.m. during a scheduled night training session. According to investigators, the student pilot was at the controls for most of the trip as they headed north toward the Tappan Zee Bridge before touching down at Stewart International Airport around 7:30 p.m. for a stop-and-go maneuver, a routine training exercise in which an aircraft lands, comes to a full stop on the runway, then immediately departs without taxiing or refueling.
After taking off from Stewart and beginning the return leg to Long Island, the aircraft began experiencing mechanical problems near the U.S. Military Academy, officials said. Instructor D'Arcy took control and issued a mayday call, turning the plane back toward Stewart. Moments later, the engine failed for reasons still under investigation, forcing the aircraft into a glide.
With the runway no longer reachable, D'Arcy chose the Hudson River as the safest emergency landing option.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc7ny.com ...
The river was filled with ice and the water was freezing. There wasn't a road with no cars on it somewhere?
The problem with roads, especially at night, is power lines.
The Hudson flying is great fun, I’ve done “The Corridor” many times over the years. Fly down the Hudson from GWB to Verrazano at about 1000 feet.
And no trees overhanging, and no telephone poles, and no wires, and no twists or bends in the road…along the banks of the Hudson in New York State? Not likely. But you do have the right handle.
1 1/2 years for private pilot training is about a year to long, it only takes 6 months for most
“There wasn’t a road with no cars on it somewhere?”
Obviously not. How many flight hours do you have?
Looks like it is quite salvagable, plus it is in shallow fresh water. Salt water would be bad. Just pull it to shore. The wings are relatively easy to remove, even with only two people, after draining the wing fuel tanks.
As much as I despise DEI... my best flight instructor nearly 40 years ago was beautiful leggy blonde. My wife took one look at her and made me get a different instructor. But I did have to go back to her for my spin training because she was the only instructor at the flight school who was qualified to teach aerobatic maneuvers. She was a competitive aerobatic pilot.
“1 1/2 years for private pilot training is about a year to long, it only takes 6 months for most”
I started lessons at about that age. I could only afford about one hour a month.
Yeah, that makes it tough. I did mine in 4 months 35 years ago, but I didn’t start til I had the money to do it all as quickly as possible and flew at least 3 times a week.
Long ago my wife and I were looking at a Piper Comanche. It was not disclosed by the owner, but we eventually found out that the airplane had been completely under water during a flood for an extended period of time. The plane had a bit of a musty smell, but it flew fine.
The primary reason that we did not purchase the Comanche was because it was being sold based on a recent major overhaul on the engine. When I contacted the mechanic who had done the overhaul, he said that the mechanic had insisted that the crank not be magnafluxed. Magnafluxing the crank is a step specified in basically every manufacturer's overhaul manual. The mechanic said the owner did not want to risk having to replace or repair the crank.
But yes, it looks like that plane could be salvageable and even brought back into service.
While I was getting my flight instruction (mid '70s) there was a perpetual student at the flight school. He was a local TV personality. Kept taking lessons and talking on air about the glories of flying. I can't remember what the hang up was but something like freezing up when trying to land. I got my private SEL license in about 6 months.
A former in-law was an instructor in the NYC area. Had problems and set down in the water. Student was killed, he survived. He was not a good pilot and eventually became unemployable.
It didn't take me very many hours because I already had hundreds of hours of flight time in hang gliders and ultralight aircraft. I also watched the King videos and got 100% on the written immediately after starting the training. I still recommend John and Martha King's videos even though the originals are a bit long in the tooth these days.
Taking lessons for 18 months means lots of backtracking. You forget stuff from lesson to lesson if the previous time was 4 weeks ago. Much can be said about taking a Crash Course in getting your license. This guy apparently WAS taking a CRASH Course, just did it in a year and a half.
My thoughts exactly.
— Gerald R. Massie, U.S. Army Air Forces photographer, after the crash-landing of his B-17 in 1944.
And according to Chuck Yeager, if the plane flies again by the next day, it was an "outstanding" landing.
He did a perfect take-off, followed the headings and altitudes that I gave him, and did a perfect landing at the airport we flew to. He did some more landings and takeoffs at that airport and also at the much more challenging airport that I was keeping the plane at. Flying a flight simulator is actually more difficult than flying our Piper Cherokee other than the stress level is higher when you are a brand-new pilot.
My favorite book on flying is the classic, Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche. You can be a used copy at Amazone for about $7 + $4 shipping at Amazon. Many local libraries carry it, or you can find it at: https://archive.org/search?query=Wolfgang+Langewiesche
He didn't need any.
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