A seaplane bound for the Hamptons plunged into the East River seconds after takeoff Friday — but no was injured, authorities said.
In fact, nobody even got wet — the pilot and his nine passengers all kept their cool and either remained in the cabin or made their way to one of the seaplane’s pontoons, where cops and firefighters quickly rescued them.
The accident happened at the Skyport Marina and Seaplane Terminal at E. 23d Street at 5:45 p.m.
“Everything happened very fast. The plane tried to take off and got about ten to 15 feet in the air before I heard two loud bangs,’’ said Charlotte Lawrence, 17, who was on the plane with her dad, tv producer and writer Bill Lawrence.
“Everybody started getting nervous,’’ she said. “The plane landed back on the river. The passengers put on life jackets and exited the plane.’’
Some of them bided their time on the pontoons until emergency responders arrived.
Lawrence, who created “Scrubs,’’ “Spin City’’ and “Cougar Town,’’ recalled, “Immediately after taking off, the plane started leaning to one side and we realized there was something wrong.
“Everyone was scared and shaken as the plane landed back on the river. Four boats immediately pulled in as we put on our life jackets and waited for rescue.”
Earlier, he tweeted, “wild day, daughter and all ok. First plane crash. Thanks NYC emergency folks.’’
In another tweet he vowed to “drink tequila continuously.’’
Everyone aboard was checked and cleared by EMTs before leaving the terminal
The plane, owned by a company firm called Tailwind, sustained only minor damage to a wing strut. It was going to land at East Hampton Airlort.
Besides serving the East End, the company offers charter flights to places including Boston, Nantucket and Washington.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, who will determine the cause of the accident, were expected within hours.
An NYPD spokesman said, “For this situation being what it was, a plane coming down in the East River, things went as well as they could have.’’