Miracle in Manhatten - all 155 passengers survive

[24KT]

All 155 Miraculously Safe After Plane Crashes
Into Frigid Waters Of New York's Hudson River
Thursday January 15, 2009
CityNews.ca Staff



They're calling it the Miracle in Manhattan. And it would be hard to argue otherwise.

A U.S. Airways jet made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in New York City Thursday afternoon after apparently striking a flock of birds that may have disabled two engines. There were 155 people on board -150 passengers and five crew members - but remarkably there were no deaths or serious injuries.

Several passengers are being treated for hypothermia, but everyone on board survived.

Witnesses saw the jet, which took off from LaGuardia Airport en route to North Carolina just before 4pm, swing low on the horizon and then hit the water. It was still afloat immediately after the impact and rescue boats rushed to the scene to usher out shocked passengers, several of whom were out on the wing of the plane.  Thirty-five people had to be pulled from the water. 

Witnesses are crediting the pilot with doing a brilliant job of landing the craft in harrowing circumstances.


"I saw the plane, it was coming down below the radar zone," explained one witness. "I thought it might be a terrorist attack, or something. But the plane...it had difficulty getting off, trying to gain altitude. But as it got closer to the water, I saw the pilot, he made a last-ditch effort to try to gain altitude, and he did that for a few seconds and then the plane just came down and plopped on the water."

The jet was slowly sinking into the murky depths, with only its tail and roof still visible, but didn't fully submerge for many minutes.

Some survivors are already telling stories of the pilot announcing a dramatic 'prepare for impact!' over the PA system before the craft hit.



The landing, while hard, was said to be have been a textbook example of how to hit the drink in an emergency and may well have saved many lives.

Despite reports that the crash-landing was caused by a collision with birds, CEO of U.S. Airways, Doug Parker, warned the media not to jump to conclusions.

"It is premature to speculate on the cause of this accident, out of respect for those affected we would ask that you also resist the temptation to speculate," he said during a press conference. "The National Transpiration Safety Board will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the probable cause with our complete support. 

"Right now we are working to care for those who have been touched by this accident," he added. "Members of our airline family will come together with these families to help however we can.  In closing, safety is, has been, and forever will be our foremost priority at U.S. Airways...We will continue to release information as soon as it is available."

Government officials said they did not believe sabotage was involved.

"There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," Homeland Security spokesperson Laura Keehner said. "We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue."

The story immediately took on a life of its own on the web, with a shot taken by a passing ferry passenger with an iPhone. He posted it on Twitter and it has since been seen worldwide and picked up by news organizations around the planet.

[24KT]

Passengers Recall Horror Of Pilot's
'Brace For Impact!' Warning
Thursday January 15, 2009
CityNews.ca Staff


Photo credit: Daniel Barry/Getty Images

Judging by what happened to them, you might think the 155 people - including an infant - who got onboard a U.S. Airways A320 jet in New York on Thursday shouldn't be here to tell their stories.

But thanks to what some are calling the Miracle In Manhattan, they've been able to call their families with an incredible story of survival they'll be telling the rest of their hopefully very long lives.

Everything seemed normal as they got on board their flight to North Carolina at LaGuardia Airport in the afternoon. But about a minute after take-off, they heard a noise and then something far worse - the sound of their pilot warning them to brace for an emergency landing. 

Jeff Kolodjay remembers the sound of an explosion on the left side of the plane. When he looked out, he saw one of the engines was on fire. "The captain said, 'Brace for impact because we're going down,"' he recalls. He remembers seeing many white faced passengers putting their heads in their laps and praying as the plane hit the water.

"It was intense. It was intense," he relates. "You've got to give it to the pilot. He made a hell of a landing."

Fred Berretta was trying to get home to Charlotte. "As soon as we hit the water, the doors were opened on both sides of the plane," he recounts. Some passengers immediately plunged into the freezing cold waters. "We were worried about them," he admits. "The folks in the water took the worst of it."

Another passenger couldn't believe what he was seeing. "It just started smelling a lot like gasoline and a couple of minutes after that and they said you have to brace for a hard impact. And that's when everyone started saying prayers."

The pilot, identified as Chesley B. Sullenberger, III, a skilled flyer with more than 40 years of experience, radioed the tower seconds before he went down that the plane had a "double bird strike," the most likely reason that two engines failed. There are unconfirmed reports the fowl that fouled the plane were Canada geese.

He was ordered to turn towards Teterboro Airport in New Jersey but couldn't make it.

Bird strikes are not that unusual and most airports have people who watch for the flying obstructions and try and chase them off the runways. Toronto's Pearson International Airport employs falcons for the purpose, a story we told you about last June.

The relieved passengers, whose prayers really did come true on Thursday, are crediting Divine Intervention and the divine talents of a frequent flyer for the reason they'll be seeing their families again.

Asked what he would say to the pilot and co-pilot, Berretta didn't hesitate. "Thank you," he responds simply. "Thank you. Thank you."

[24KT]

Who Is The Hero Pilot That Saved 155 Lives?
Thursday January 15, 2009
CityNews.ca Staff


Photo courtesy: Safety Reliability Methods, Inc.

There were 155 people on board that U.S. Airways Airbus when it hit the water in New York City on Thursday. One of them was a man with the unlikely name of Chesley B. Sullenberger, III (left).

He was the pilot of what at first appeared to be the doomed craft, after it apparently hit some birds shortly after takeoff. "Sully" as he's known to acquaintances, is being credited with saving the lives of the other 154 onboard the jet, after he managed to make a picture perfect ditch into the frigid Hudson River.

Emergency workers sped to the scene and against all odds got everyone off in time. But it was Sully's skill that made it possible.

Who is this quiet pilot with the skill and the nerves of steel? He's a U.S. airline flyer with over 40 years of experience, a man in the right cockpit at just the right time.

Sullenberger is comfortable with everything from gliders and single engine aircraft to major jumbo jets. He's flown Learjets, 737s, DC-9s and of course, the A320.

He's served with the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot and worked as an instructor, teaching hundreds of others what he's learned.

He's the founder of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., a firm designed to lend expertise in safety. "Many of these advances have their genesis in the ultra-safe world of commercial aviation," their website reveals.

He was a visiting scholar at the University of Berkeley in California and a frequent guest speaker - and you can bet demands for his time are about to go way up.

And in an irony lost on few, he's also been an accident investigator who's looked into other mishaps involving aircraft, likely never dreaming he'd be the subject of one from the other side someday.

[shootfighter1]

That pilot is amazing!