P-47 Thunderbolt ditching into The Hudson River
 

From the BBC.
New York plane crash: WW2 aircraft in Hudson River - BBC News

New York Times... (P47)

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/ny...ttom-well&_r=0

P-47 Thunderbolt ditching
 

It is reported that a P-47 Thunderbolt has ditched in the Hudson River in New York, and the pilot did not make it out

Pilot killed in P-47 Thunderbolt Hudson crash » World Warbird News

The radio report says he survived the ditching, but drowned as the plane sank. Very sad to hear, particularly when he put the aircraft safely down in such a congested area. I have no idea if he wore a life jacket or not, but it is a reminder that even though your flight might not be planned beyond gliding distance of land, the water may still be the better option, and you should be prepared...

Poor bugger. A promo film too. Sad.

RIP Bill Gordon

[As an addendum to the first comment, there was a practice during the BoB that pilots ditching in the Channel would often pull the toggle on the Mae West just before ditching... this primitive version of the airbag was credited with saving more than a few lives. :ok:]

Crash or ditching?

Has anybody ever succsessfully ditched a P47 in water?

This appears to cover the actual contact with water, with minimal vertical motion at impact:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUomSU2ua84

Crash = unintentional.
Ditching = necessary & intentional.

The success, or not, of the latter does not affect the definition.

'Dottie Mae'. Traun Lake, Austria. But I am sure there are many more.

Here it is on its way up from the water again:
http://i.imgur.com/xFXXNSX.jpg

Video of the salvage operation does not show a floating (anti pollution) boom around the floating crane.
Should anything be read into this in regard to the amount of fuel onboard the aircraft?

Mickjoebill

Any news as to the cause of the ditching?

From the NTSB report:

"The wreckage was recovered from the river the following day and was transported to the West 30th Street Heliport, New York, New York. An initial examination of the wreckage revealed that the airframe was generally intact. The engine remained attached to the airframe. A cursory examination of the engine revealed that the number 18 cylinder on the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial engine was damaged, consistent with an in-flight occurrence. Oil was present on the exterior of the engine."