Pilot Dies After WWII Era Fighter Plane Crashes in New York City River

A pilot was killed Friday evening after a vintage fighter plane crash landed in a river near New York City.

WIlliam Gordon, 56, of Key West was pulled from the Hudson River by scuba divers and prnounced dead by EMS at the scene.

The World War II-era P-47 Thunderbolt fighter was having engine trouble when it went down, the FAA said.

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The single seater plane was scheduled to appear in this weekend's Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach on Long Island, FOX 5 New York reported. 

This weekend, the American Airpower Museum is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the P-47 Thunderbolt.

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The plane was one of three planes that had taken off from an airport in Long Island before it crashed two miles south of the George Washington bridge.

According to an NYPD statement, the plane was secured to a harbor launch as part of the joint NYPD and FDNY recovery operation, which began after witnesses first reported the crash around 7:30 p.m.

The crash occurred not far from where a US Airways jet carrying 155 people landed safely on the Hudson River in 2009.

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