May 24, 2012
UPDATE @ 4:49pm
FAA says all passengers and crew on US Airways Flight 1549 are off the plane and safe.
A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid river, after what authorities describe as a bird strike that disabled two engines shortly after takeoff.
It sent the 150 people on board scrambling onto rescue boats.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman says the flight had just taken off from New York's LaGuardia Airport on its way to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the crash occurred in the river near midtown Manhattan.
She says the Airbus 320 appeared to have hit one or more birds.
The plane ended up submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews pulled passengers in yellow life vests from the plane, as several boats surrounded the aircraft.
A witness said the crash-landing in the river looked like a "controlled descent."
The crash sent passengers fleeing for safety in the frigid waters. It's not yet clear if there are any injuries.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says US Airways Flight 1549 had taken off from LaGuardia Airport on its way to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred.
The plane went down near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.
She says the plane appeared to have hit one or more birds.
It was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews opened a door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane.
Several boats surrounded the plane, which was slowly sinking.
Government officials say there's no indication that the crash is related to terrorism.
New York City firefighters are responding to the accident. It's not clear yet if there are injuries.
The FAA confirmed US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320, was headed to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for more information.
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