155 survive plane crash in NYC's Hudson River

[Buttercup]

NEW YORK – A US Airways pilot ditched his disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines, but rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as the plane sank, authorities say.


There were no immediate reports of any serious injuries.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.


The plane, an Airbus 320, took off at 3:26 p.m. and went down minutes later, Brown said.
"There were eyewitness reports the plane may have flown into a flock of birds," Brown said. She added, "Right now we don't have any indication this was anything other than an accident."


Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Union, said that the pilot reported a "double bird strike" about 30 to 45 seconds after takeoff and said he needed to return to LaGuardia.
The controller instructed the pilot to divert to an airport in Teterboro, N.J., for an emergency landing, Church said.


The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows when rescuers in Coast Guard vessels and ferry boats arrived, opened the door and pulled passengers in yellow life vests from the aircraft, whose fuselage appeared intact. The plane was sinking in the near-freezing water on one of the coldest days of the year, with the mercury around 20 degrees.


Witnesses said the plane's pilot appeared to guide the plane down.
"I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it's landing right in the water," said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine "Inside Edition." "This looked like a controlled descent."


Barbara Sambriski, a researcher at The Associated Press, saw the plane go down from the news organization's high-rise office. "I just thought, 'Why is it so low?' And, splash, it hit the water," she said.
US Airways CEO Doug Parker confirmed that 150 passengers, three flight attendants and two pilots were on board the jetliner.


Joe Mazzone, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot, said it is not unusual for birds to strike planes. In fact, he said, when planes get ready to take off, if there are birds in the area, the tower will alert the crew.
"They literally just choke out the engine and it quits," Mazzone said.


Twenty-seven years ago this week, an Air Florida plane bound for Tampa crashed into the Potomac River after hitting a bridge just after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The crash on Jan. 13, 1982, killed 78 people including four people in their cars on the bridge. Five people on the plane survived.


On Dec. 20, a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at the Denver airport, injuring 38 people. That was the first major crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner mistakenly took off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky.
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Associated Press writers Eileen Sullivan and Michael J. Sniffen in Washington and Harry R. Weber in Atlanta contributed to this report.


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Incredible job by the pilot!

[Jenna]

Amazing that they all survived!

[Buttercup]

There are more images here http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200...9_crashes.html

[2 Blue 4 U]

The Rescue workers did an awesome job evacuating and I would like to mention the Pilot did an awesome job landing that plane in the water. Glad everyone made it out and there were no serious injuries sustained.

The plane is now docked off of lower manhattan although it is probably more like a submarine by now!

[Odd]

Outstanding!

Wow, truly amazing by all involved.

[Big Al]

Amazing event... thankfully all survived.

[lewisipso]

No comment.

[Captain America]

No comment.

Ha , hey James , you want to borrow my copy of "Snakes on a Plane."

[lewisipso]

Hold it right there buster. That's far enough.

[armsmaster270]

The Rescue workers did an awesome job evacuating and I would like to mention the Pilot did an awesome job landing that plane in the water. Glad everyone made it out and there were no serious injuries sustained.

The plane is now docked off of lower manhattan although it is probably more like a submarine by now!

I gotta ditto that Kudos to Pilot & Crew.

[Xiphos]

A most remarkable landing...
Plane missed bridge by 900FT...
Hero Of Flight: Veteran pilot...
FRIGID RIVER!
Survivors seen standing on the wings...
US AIRWAYS 1549 -- LaGuardia to Charlotte...
Flock of birds to blame...
Successful Water Landings Are Rare...

[CTR man]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200...light_154.html

US Airways pilot Sullenberger praised for efforts in Hudson River crash

by Sharon Adarlo/The-Star-Ledger Thursday January 15, 2009, 7:32 PM


After the pilot safely landed the U.S. Airways plane into the Hudson River today, people began to quickly call him a hero.


New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he did a "masterful job." New York Gov. David Paterson said he averted a tragedy. But Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, the pilot who helped save the 155 passengers and crew from the freezing waters off Manhattan was just doing his job.




C. B. "Sully" Sullenberger


Sullenberger, a 57-year-old Danville, Ca. resident, has been flying planes for over 40 years and is a former Air Force fighter pilot.


Since 1980, he has been a pilot with U.S. Airways, where he trained other pilots, helped streamline passenger service, led efforts to improve safety at airports, aided the National Transportation Safety Board in investigating accidents, and co-wrote a technical paper with NASA on crew decision-making errors.


From 1973 to 1980, he was an F-4 pilot for the Air Force. He flew missions in Europe and over the Pacific as a commander.


Sullenberger graduated with a bachelors in psychology from the U.S. Air Force Academy and went on to earn a masters in industrial psychology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. He also has a masters in public administration from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo.


In addition to his work as a pilot, he is the president of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., a company that provides management, safety, performance and reliability consulting to various businesses.

He is also a member of the Air Line Pilots Association, where he previously served as a safety chairman. Sullenberger was recently named a visiting scholar at the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management at the University of California, Berkeley.

[Xiphos]

o-wrote a technical paper with NASA on crew decision-making errors.

There are probably few airline pilots as uniquely qualified to pull off what was done with that aircraft.

[Captain America]

Fortunately , the pilot landed the plane in close proximity to the ferry boat terminal , allowing help to get to the plane almost immediately. Great job by everyone involved including the ferry boat crews. Not too many people can say they walked (or swam) away from a plane crash.

[Morris]

There is some buzz among some friends in the commercial flying business that the captain had an idea of where to put down on the river so that he could fully make the emergency landing and have support.

All heresay but by all accounts, this is THE guy when it comes to situations like this. There is also universal praise for his second seater and the flight attendants, who worked as a team to get folks off quickly, effectively and minimize injury to all.

[MacLean]

Love it when it a plan comes together...

Have this pilot, on this plane, on this day...

Sort of like finding yourself in a gunfight and having a platoon of Seals show up to help out.

[Retdetsgt]

Too bad that he'll be forced to retire in three more years. I recall several years ago, the pilot in Hawaii that landed the airliner with the sheet metal that flew off. That was hailed as brillant flying. About 6 months later, he turned 60 and they kicked him out.

[bayern]

Good show, Cpt. The lawyers are having fits; who to sue. The pilot - nope, all lived. The airline? No macanical failure, The airport? nothing there. Ah, the birds! Um, two are dead and they probably entered the US illegally; lets find the relatives, but whey went south or parts unknown. They were Canadian Geese, so what about the Canadian Govt? Nope, they would tell the lawyers to kiss off. What about the manufacture, Air Bus. Nothing there, it didn't sink and all survived. Sometimes life isn't fair (so say the lawyers).

[Jenna]

Good show, Cpt. The lawyers are having fits; who to sue. The pilot - nope, all lived. The airline? No manical failure, The airport? nothing there. Ah, the birds! Um, two are dead and they probably entered the US illegially; lets find the relatives, but whey went south or parts unknown. They were Canadian Geese, so what about the Canadian Govt? Nope, they would tell the lawyers to kiss off. What about the manufacture, Air Bus. Nothing there, it didn't sink and all survived. Sometimes life isn't fair (so say the lawyers).

Sue the geese's relatives.

[MacLean]

Too bad that he'll be forced to retire in three more years. I recall several years ago, the pilot in Hawaii that landed the airliner with the sheet metal that flew off. That was hailed as brillant flying. About 6 months later, he turned 60 and they kicked him out.

With medicine these days, and proper flight physicals, pilots should indeed be allowed to serve past 60.

However, there won't be a large push to change it.

Retired military pilots still need a place to go to ply their trade.