Seaplane Operator Addresses East River Hard Landing

Acadian Seaplanes says passengers suffered no injuries and that it will conduct an investigation.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, July 07, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Kodiak 100 turboprop, similar to the one above but equipped with pontoons, made a hard landing on New York City’s East River on Sunday, July 5. [Credit: Daher]

Key Takeaways:

An Acadian Seaplanes Kodiak 100 turboprop made a hard landing on New York City’s East River, causing structural damage to the aircraft.
There were eight occupants aboard (passengers and crew); Acadian Seaplanes reported no injuries, while FDNY and FAA stated two suffered minor injuries.
The accident occurred near the New York Skyports Seaplane Base, with video suggesting the aircraft may have hit a wave, damaging a float and wing.
Acadian Seaplanes is conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident with the FAA and NTSB.

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The operator of a Kodiak 100 turboprop that made a hard landing on New York City’s East River on Sunday said it is investigating the cause of the accident.

Acadian Seaplanes, which offers chartered flights in the U.S. Northeast and between Florida’s mainland and coastal islands, said in a LinkedIn post that the aircraft sustained “structural damage during the landing rollout” after touching down on the river around noon EDT Sunday. Per air traffic control audio, the accident occurred near the New York Skyports Seaplane Base (6N7) near East 23rd Street in Manhattan.