Inside the icy Hudson River landing that instructor and teen survived

NEW YORK - A flight instructor and his student survived after their small plane lost engine power and made an emergency landing in the icy Hudson River on Monday night, authorities said. 

They swam about 50 feet to shore after the crash.

What we know:

The single-engine Cessna 172 went down just before 8 p.m. after experiencing mechanical trouble during a training flight that began on Long Island, according to New York State Police.

Liam D’Arcy, 31, a certified flight instructor with the Long Island Flying School, had taken a 17-year-old student on a pre-scheduled night lesson, police said. The aircraft departed from Long Island MacArthur Airport at about 6:30 p.m. and landed roughly an hour later at Stewart International Airport for a routine stop-and-go maneuver.

‘We’re going into the Hudson River' 

The backstory:

Audio from air traffic control captured the pilot reporting a loss of oil pressure and limited power.

"We’re going into the Hudson River. I don’t think we’re going to make the airport," the pilot said. "We have a little bit of power, but it’s very rough. We have no oil. We lost all pressure."

With no runway within reach, D’Arcy maneuvered the aircraft toward the Hudson, setting it down on an ice-covered stretch about 200 feet from shore, police said.

Frigid waters

After impact, both occupants were able to exit the plane on their own and swim about 50 feet through frigid water to reach land.

"After impact, both individuals were able to self-extricate from the aircraft," New York State Police Captain Brad Natalizio said. "They then swam approximately 50 feet in frigid cold water to reach the shoreline."

Both were treated for hypothermia and later released from a hospital, authorities said.

Another pilot, Brandon Gallagher, was flying a separate Cessna on a sightseeing tour of the New York City skyline when he heard the mayday call over the radio. He said he saw the distressed aircraft before losing sight of it behind terrain. 

Tracking its descent data, he and his co-pilot circled back over the river.

They spotted the plane upright in the dark water, its position lights visible against the night sky.

"It was pitch black," Gallagher said. "We were able to see them pretty quick and start circling them and get the position for air traffic control to relay to the search and rescue."

First responders with the Town of Newburgh EMS described the pair as alert and in good spirits despite the cold.

The plane remained partially submerged in the Hudson on Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the crash, as investigators worked to determine the cause of the apparent engine failure.

What's next:

Authorities have not released additional details about the aircraft or the ongoing investigation with the Federal Aviation Administration.