Coast Guard suspends search in mid-air collision on Hudson

DATE: August 8, 2009 9:18:09 PM EDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public Affairs Detachment New York
U.S. Coast Guard

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Date: Aug. 8, 2009 Public Affairs (212) 668-7114

News Release

Coast Guard suspends search in mid-air collision on Hudson (PHOTO RELEASE)

NEW YORK – The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the passengers of two aircraft that collided over the Hudson River around noon today.

The search was suspended at 8 p.m. pending further developments.

The Coast Guard cutter Penobscot Bay crew will remain on scene overnight enforcing a two mile safety zone from the Holland Tunnel to the Lincoln Tunnel. Vessels must transit slowly within 400 yards of the Manhattan side while passing through the area.

A Piper Saratoga that took off from Teterboro Airport, N.Y., carrying three passengers and a Liberty Tours helicopter, carrying six people, collided mid-air over the Hudson, killing all nine people onboard the aircrafts.

Six rescue boat crews from Coast Guard Station New York, a Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, several Coast Guard Auxiliary assets, the New York City Police and Fire Departments all participated in the search effort. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are scanning the area with a side-scanning sonar in an attempt to locate the wreckage.

The incident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

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