East River Plane Crash: 10 Rescued From Celebrity Seaplane Headed To Hamptons

GRAMERCY, NY — A seaplane headed from Manhattan to the Hamptons crashed into the East River around 300 yards off the 23rd Street Pier around 5:30 p.m. Friday, according to city fire officials. And according to TV producer Bill Lawrence — creator of shows like "Scrubs," "Spin City" and "Cougartown" — he and his daughter were on board.

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"The plane attempted to take off three times," an FDNY spokesman said. "On the third time, it hit the water, fracturing three struts in the side of the plane, which caused the plane to list."

Ten people were pulled from the plane by emergency responders, the spokesman said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, he said.

"All passengers and crew were evacuated safely," said a spokeswoman for Tailwind Air Service, the plane's private operator. "The plane was towed to a nearby dock." Asked what went wrong with the plane, she said only: "We will provide more details as they become available."

Lawrence, a hit TV producer and regular East Hampton summer-er, documented the (somewhat anti-climatic) crash on his Instagram feed. His footage made the whole thing look pretty tame:

"Just landing in the east river," Lawrence captioned one video. "No big deal. #Baller."

And beneath another Instagram shot of himself pointing to the downed plane behind him, Lawrence wrote: "Our sea plane. Going to go drink tequila continuously. #Lucky."

"Thank you to all worried friends," Lawrence wrote on Twitter around 7 p.m. "We are great. My favorite text was from my son: 'Dad, can I sleep over at my friend's house?'"

The plane itself, which was tugged ashore by FDNY and NYPD boats, also appeared relatively intact after the crash.

Fox streamed live video of the rescue on Facebook:

Lawrence and his family live on the West Coast, but spend around six weeks each summer out East, relaxing in Sagaponack, Montauk and East Hampton, according to Modern Luxury magazine. From the 'zine:

It is on the East End that Lawrence can write, noodle, muse — and stare into what is arguably one of the most stunning middle distances in the land. “It’s what every writer wants,” says Lawrence, who is currently wrapping an outline for an FX series based on a novel by Carl Hiaasen. “The light just before and after sunset in the Hamptons is crazy, and looks unlike anything else,” he says. But there’s also how the light feels. In that light, Lawrence and friends fulfill a wish of dreamers on both coasts: ease. Here, Lawrence is no longer the gimlet-eyed comedy writer. “There is something very romantic about being part of a bunch of people who have no dinner plans,” he says, just a bit wistfully. “We’ll say, ‘Hey, you want go to the little roadside stand and get some corn and watermelon?’ As long as you have gallons of rosé on hand, you’re OK.”

This story has been updated. Lead photo via NYCityAlerts/Twitter