A vintage plane fell into the Hudson River in upstate New York yesterday afternoon, killing its pilot. The state police say the pilot, Rhinebeck doctor Michael Faraldi, 38, was the only passenger and the plane is still submerged in the icy, muddy water near Kingston NY. According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, "Faraldi took off from Nashville, Tenn., in a 1969 BAC-167 Strikemaster jet."—City Room says it took off from Johnstown, Penn.—"The cause of the crash is unknown, but it appears to be accidental."

A woman who saw and then "watched as it rotated 360 degrees before plummeting nose first," saying, "It was almost in slow motion. It was awful." The BAC167 Strikemaster is a two-seat plane with multiple turbo-jet engines; there are just 14 registered in the U.S.

City Room reports that the "Cold War-era plane with a dragon’s face" had recently been purchased by Faraldi from Drago Aviation. Drago's president Andy Anderson said that Faraldi was "very good friend of ours," but would not comment further.