FAA Solves Mystery of ‘Downed’ Plane

A small plane reported to have crashed into the Hudson River was actually just flying low on a wildlife survey, and its pilot is alive and well, aviation officials said. Police rushed divers to the river after two witnesses on the George Washington Bridge reported seeing a single-engine, high-wing aircraft plunge into the water near the span. The search was expanded down river into New York Harbor, but no debris was found. The plane belongs to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and at the time the witnesses thought they saw a crash the pilot was flying about 100 feet above the water “looking for ducks,” said a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The official said the pilot was in upstate New York, continuing his observations.