Police Divers Check Possible Debris Field On River Bottom

A Grumman G44A Widgeon reportedly nosedived into the Hudson river Thursday afternoon and sank to the bottom of the river. Police divers were checking a possible debris field located by sonar on the river bottom Friday.

The plane went down about 1630 EDT Thursday, according to NY State Police Capt. Robert Nuzzo. The accident occurred near Germantown in Columbia County, NY, about 40 miles south of Albany.

The online news site greenwichtime.com reports that Nuzzo said parts of the airplane recovered after the accident indicate it was likely a Grumman Widgeon, which was used as a reconnaissance aircraft during WWII. It was not immediately known if anyone other than the pilot was on board when the plane went down.

The online site Your News Now (YNN) reports that witnesses said they saw flames as the plane impacted the water. State police said that the pilot was "someone from the area."

Television station WNYT reports that state police divers located the tail sectino of the plane Friday in about 25 feet of water. They are still searching for the main wreckage.

(Grumman Widgeon pictured in file photo. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov