2)Pilot missing: Emergency and rescue crews at the iced-over section of the Hudson, near the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, where the plane went down
A vintage military jet has crashed into the Hudson River as it came in for a landing at an airport in Kingston. The pilot was killed in the accident but his body has not been recovered.
The pilot, named as 38-year-old Michael Faraldi, was the only person aboard the jet when it crashed just north of the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge.
A witness said the plane spun 360 degrees before nosediving into the river.
State police said the accident happened about 1.30pm, on an ice-covered stretch of the Hudson near the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, which spans the river midway between Albany and New York City.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Holly Baker said the aircraft was partially submerged after the crash and Faraldi's body was unaccounted for - despite as many as 20 divers working at the scene.
State police divers were cutting through the ice, which is a foot thick, with chainsaws. But it was a recovery missuion rather than a rescue mission.
The jet, a British-made BAC 167 Strikemaster, was headed to Kingston-Ulster Airport from an airfield Johnstown, Pennsylvania, when it went down, Ms Baker said.
The aircraft made a low pass over the airstrip before hitting the river.
There was no immediate word on whether the pilot reported any problems prior to the crash.
Witness Kathy Gardner of Clinton Corners told police she was traveling westbound on the bridge when she saw the plane in the air.
She then watched in horror as it rotated 360 degrees before plummeting nose first.
She did not see it hit the water, adding: 'It was almost in slow motion. It was awful.'
The jet was a type of training and light-attack aircraft first made in the late 1960s and removed from service after fatigue cracks were identified in its wings.
In recent years, the crashed jet was owned by Dragon Aviation, a company that flies fighter jets in air shows all over the country. A snarling green dragon adorned the jet's nose.
Company president Andy Anderson said Faraldi was 'a good, good friend', adding: 'This has got to be a bad dream.'
He was travelling to the crash scene.
The Strikemaster, used by third-world nations because of its ability to land and take-off from roughly made airstrips, was taken out of service after the Royal New Zealand Air Force found fatigue cracking in the wings of its aircraft.
But Strikemasters retired by New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore have been sold on to museums and private collections.
The website warbirddepot.com list Mr Anderson and Robin Rice as owners and operators of the crashed aircraft.
It says the aircraft is based in Houston, Texas.
so sad i feel bad for the family!!
ReplyDeleteThese airplanes that had been discontinued by the military should not be used anymore. There's a reason why they are being discontinued and most of the time, that reason is safety hazard.
ReplyDelete