Thursday, January 15, 2009

Plane Splashes Down In 15 Degree Water?

The news works swiftly. A plane taking off from LaGuardia airport went down into the frigid Hudson River about 15 minutes ago. CBS reports:

The plane is floating upright in the water near the USS Intrepid. Temperatures at the time of the crash in the city were just about 20 degrees, with the water temperature likely much colder.
Not only did a single bird reportedly kill both engines, but it also achieved sub-20 degree liquid water!

3 comments:

fendeilagh said...

It is possible for the water to be a liquid below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The Hudson is most certainly not pure water, and the impurities lower the freezing temperature. If it had landed in the ocean rather than a river, it would be even lower due to the salt content. That being said, to get below 20 F would require some really messed up water. Maybe they were reporting in Celsius and there is a crazy heat wave going through NYC right now?

gary said...

The Hudson is a tidal estuary as far north as Troy, so it could be quite salty.

Macro Guy said...

Ocean water freezes at about 28 F, so the point is moot. I checked on this before I blogged ;-)