Jet Down in N.Y. Harbor; Three of 62 Known Dead

NEW YORK--A USAir 737 carrying 62 people skidded off a runway on takeoff from LaGuardia Airport and splashed into the East River late last night, killing at least three people, authorities said.

"They've got people in the water in life rafts, some people in the tail section," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Gary Rives. "The plane is sitting at a 60-degree angle in the water with the cockpit down."

The Coast Guard said the plane remained afloat and was in relatively shallow water, 25 to 40 feet deep.

The plane, USAir Flight 5050, a Boeing 737-400 bound for Charlotte, N.C., went down on takeoff from LaGuardia, said Susan Young, a USAir spokeperson in Pittsburgh.

At least two people were killed, said fire department Dispatcher Adam Krause. CBS News reported New York City Police confirming three deaths. The Port Authority also said it had reports of fatalities, but officials had no figures on possible injuries.

One passenger reported that the aircraft split into two or three pieces, with part of the jetliner suspended out of the water and the wing section afloat. Survivors crawled onto the wing to await their rescue.

Some people were trapped in the plane's tail section and were being removed, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Paul Milligan. CBS reported all crew members survived the accident.

Milligan said the plane skidded off the runway during takeoff and landed in the water, about 2000 feet from the end of the runway, at 11:35 p.m. EDT.

Young said the jet was bound for Charlotte, N.C. "On takeoff it went off the end of the runway and is now partially submerged in the water," she said.

The pilot tried to abort the takeoff for an unknown reason, said Kathleen Bergen, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration in New York. The plane had been delayed from a 7:30 p.m. scheduled departure, CBS reported.

The plane was carrying 55 passengers and seven crew members and was being evacuated, said a Fire Department spokesman, John Mulligan.

Mulligan said survivors were being taken to the Pan Am Shuttle terminal at LaGuardia.

Coast Guard small boats and planes were on the scene, as well as police vehicles.

The plane's engines were apparently cut off halfway down the runway and went into reverse thrust, said David Hawthorne, a CBS News producer, who was on the plane.