A woman was killed and two seriously injured Sunday after a seaplane crashed into a concrete pier in Queens.
The single-engine Cessna seaplane crashed into a Whitestone pier around 3 p.m., according to The New York Times.
Small plane crash into a pier near Beechhurst Yacht Club in Whitestone Queens – three people seriously hurt, one other with minor injuries – witnesses say nearby jet skiers were first to respond and helped pull victims out of downed sea plane @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/p6BhYij7LS
— Anjali Hemphill (@AnjaliHemphill) October 4, 2020
The Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the plan was “broken in pieces,” per the same report.
“Witnesses said that the plane was traveling rather fast along the water, skipped twice and hit the pier,” Nigro said, according to CBS New York. “Why this happened, we have no idea right now. The assumption is he was landing, but all of that is still up for investigation.”
At approximately 3pm today a single engine seaplane crashed into a pier at Riverside Drive and 158 St on the Long Island Sound in Queens. FDNY members removed three seriously injured passengers from the wreckage and transported them to local hospitals. FDNY Operations continue. pic.twitter.com/pyuDgguowX
— FDNY (@FDNY) October 4, 2020
Two individuals, one identified as 61-year old Giuseppe Oppedisano and the other just identified just as a 66-year old man, were rescued from the boat by a jet skier who witnessed the crash, while the Fire Department had to remove the third person, according to NBC4 New York. (RELATED: Terrifying Plane Crash In Brazil Captured On Video)
“I just hopped the fence, I ran over, I ripped the windshield out and pulled one of the guys out,” Jarrett Schupak told NBC4 New York after having helped rescue the passengers. Schupak was treated for minor injuries, per the same report.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.