River Landing for US Airways Plane in New York : Kathika Travel Website

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Plane crashes are still rare enough that most of them make the news, but Thursday’s New York to Charlotte flight which ended up ditching in the Hudson River, with every passenger and crew member surviving, has made front page headlines throughout the world.

Details of Flight 1549

The flight was a US Airways flight which left New York City’s La Guardia Airport just before half past three on the afternoon of January 15. There were 155 people on board the aircraft, including 150 passengers and five crew members. Flight 1549 was bound for the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, but in fact, it didn’t get very far at all.

Bird Strikes Cripple Engines

Shortly after takeoff, the captain radioed in to the air traffic control tower to report that an engine had been struck by a bird; in fact, it is now believed that at least two birds struck the plane. The captain declared an emergency and requested permission for an emergency landing, but during the search for an appropriate place the plane continued to lose altitude and the captain decided to ditch the plane into the Hudson River.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320, was equipped with a ditching button which closed all valves and openings on the underside of the aircraft which would help it remain more watertight during a water landing. Witnesses and passengerss say that the pilot controlled the plane so well that it glided slowly in to land on the Hudson River, which probably was a key reason why very few serious injuries, and no deaths, came out of this incident.

Lucky Passengers Gratefully Rescued

After ditching into the Hudson the plane was evacuated quickly, and passengers and crew were rescued both from the inflated lifeboats and from the water, by passing ferries and other river traffic. One flight attendant has serious leg injuries but all other crew and passengers suffered only minor injuries or had hypothermia from the cold river. All the media, as well as local officials, are spreading wide praise for the captain and crew for handling the emergency so successfully. In fact, the hero pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, has apparently already received phone calls from both Barack Obama and George Bush congratulating and praising him, and the mayor of New York has said he will present Sullenberger with the keys to the city.
photo credit: davidwatts1978