Two "Miracle on the Hudson" flight survivors fall in love with each other

**Jenna** · 01-17-10, 06:15 PM

Laura Zych never liked birds. Ben Bostic feared drowning. They faced their fears when US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese and crash-landed in the Hudson River. They were strangers on January 15, 2009, when they boarded the fateful flight that would become known as the "Miracle on the Hudson." A year later, they're in love.

The Airbus splashed into the frigid waters of the Hudson River.
The clank of seatbelts unbuckling rattled inside the plane. Water lapped at Laura's leather boots. She grabbed her wallet and her cell phone with a GPS tracking device. It'll be easier for rescuers to find my body and identify me, she thought.
She exited to the left and onto a wing. While bobbing up and down there, she called her father. "Dad, this is Laura. I've been in a plane crash."
When things calmed down and she knew she would be rescued, she found comic relief in what brought the plane down.
"You do realize my fear of birds is justified," she told her parents.
"OK, we'll give you that one," they responded.
Inside the plane, a bottleneck of passengers blocked some exits. A flight attendant in first class waved passengers to the front. Ben climbed over the seats.
At the door, he looked out and saw water all around. Clutching tight to his seat cushion, he jumped into a raft. With survivors packed in like sardines, he worried the raft might tip.
Later, safe on shore, Ben's colleagues who were also on the flight saluted life and told him: You know what we'd be doing tonight if we were single!

More here: Love lands after 'Miracle on Hudson' - CNN.com