Airplane in Hudson River after failed takeoff!

Fireman32

Unreal story. Glad everyone was ok. Next time I fly I want that pilot.

Sherardp

Fireman32 wrote: »

Unreal story. Glad everyone was ok. Next time I fly I want that pilot.

Tell me about it, as I rack up about 50-60k flying miles a yr between the USA and overseas.

George Grand

Incredible piece of flying.

tonyb

Pilot should get a medal......along with the crew and rescue operations people.Sad thing is this pilot will most likely get snatched up by some private mega buck moron that will pay him double to fly a private jet.

mmadden28

Does anybody know if there was any amateur footage shot of the landing?

mmadden28

WilliamM2 wrote: »

No kidding? Did you see what I quoted? I was refering to the miracle comment. Wouldn't the miracle have been better if the plane had made it to the other airport? Or better yet, never hit the birds in the first place.

I did see your quote- I think the miracle comment was about landing a plane (whereever) without any destruction or loss of lives.
How many commercial airliner crashes have you heard about where everybody walked away?
Aren't you being just a tad bit greedy with what qualifies as a miracle or not? Do you honestly want to start a debate on what a miracle is or isn't? Please!
Yes it would have been better to have landed it on the runway, but when you have both engines out, I don't think you have much time to think about it-I don't know how far that other airport runway was from thier position, but if the choice was the hudson or crashing into trees or populated areas... well..

Kex

goingganzo wrote: »

i think they make planes stronget now. with all the new super strong/light materals.

I don't know about stronger, and the A320 is no n00b in the industry, introduced in 1988 as the "the first fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a civil airliner" and also "the first narrow body airliner with a significant amount of the structure made from composites". It did also, according to one of the TV interviews I heard, have a "ditch" button for water landings, that shuts off all outside openings and vents in the plane to make it air tight, and able to float until rescue arrives.

What a great story, that could so easily have been a terrible tragedy involving not just the passengers, but people on the ground too. The pilot had some steel nerves and resolve IMO to decide that neer freezing water was the least terrible option.

PhantomOG

It really surprises me that a jet of that size is designed in such a way that a couple birds could take it down so quickly.

Kex

PhantomOG wrote: »

It really surprises me that a jet of that size is designed in such a way that a couple birds could take it down so quickly.

The speculation is 10lb geese. Apparently that hits the engine with the same force as dropping a 1,000lb weight ten feet. The engines are tested to survive 4lb birds, if you believe the interviews on TV.

Mike Kozak

At least they will not have to clean the **** off of the seats!!!!

mmadden28

So did they let it sink or are they planning to remove it?
Was there any word on any environmental issues from the Jet fuel?

disneyjoe7

mmadden28 wrote: »

So did they let it sink or are they planning to remove it?
Was there any word on any environmental issues from the Jet fuel?

I heard that a crane was going to lift it out near a park in New York, but I forgot the name of the park sorry. As of right now 2:10pm it's still in the water with a wing up out of water.

Danny Tse

mmadden28 wrote: »

So did they let it sink or are they planning to remove it?

The Feds will have to recover the wreckage and do an investigation. Remember that TWA flight that blew up in mid-air? The Feds basically pieced the whole plane together from hundreds of thousands of fragments.

Danny Tse

nooshinjohn wrote: »

now that everybody is safe, how long before the lawyers start circling on this... thank god for miracles

Plane is insured by AIG.....I kid you not. :eek:

Pablo

The plane is at battery park (which is land fill from building the world trade centers). If that pilot doesn't get a metal for saving all those lives, there is something wrong (and something even worse if the media doesn't cover it). Landing a plane at that speed is like hitting the ground. How he kept it level and not ripping the entire thing apart is a testament to the pilot and the plane.

Systems

mmadden28 wrote: »

Does anybody know if there was any amateur footage shot of the landing?

Heres some footage of it from Yahoo's front page:

Its from a security camera on the pier.....


http://www.yahoo.com/s/1017288

obieone

You can say what you want about NYC, but it's a great place to ditch in:eek::D

BTW, if there were any atheists on that plane, they aren't NOW:p
Seriously, if this story doesn't fit the definition of a miracle, then....I give up

Danny Tse

A hero returns home

BlueFox

obieone wrote: »

You can say what you want about NYC, but it's a great place to ditch in:eek::D

BTW, if there were any atheists on that plane, they aren't NOW:p
Seriously, if this story doesn't fit the definition of a miracle, then....I give up

Then give up.

Danny Tse

US Air Flight 1549 on the move again

Some more pics at this thread on stevehoffman.tv

Danny Tse

"Miracle On The Hudson" pilots fly again

NEW YORK – "This is your captain, Chesley Sullenberger."

Passengers on two US Airways flights erupted in cheers when they heard those words from the cockpit Thursday.

"I was overwhelmed when I found out it was him," said Don Lambert, 61, of Fort Mill, S.C., who flew from Charlotte, N.C. to New York's LaGuardia Airport.

"You feel like you have the best pilot in the world fixing to fly you to New York."

Sullenberger, the hero pilot who landed a disabled jetliner safely in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, was reunited with co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles on Thursday's flights, which marked his official return to flying for US Airways.

"It's good to be back in New York," Sullenberger said at a LaGuardia news conference. "And it's good to be back at work."

Sullenberger said the gratitude of passengers has been "an extraordinary gift." And he bestowed the same gift on his colleague.

"You have my eternal gratitude for your skill and your courage," he said, turning to Skiles.

Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways had told reporters that Sullenberger's first flight would be later Thursday out of LaGuardia, but that wasn't true.
Airline spokesman Jonathan Freed acknowledged that the flight out of LaGuardia was actually Sullenberger's fourth time flying passengers since landing in the Hudson. He flew two flights Sept. 11 as part of his retraining process.

His flight Thursday morning from Charlotte was his first with Skiles.
When asked why US Airways released incorrect information, Freed said the flight out of LaGuardia was important because it was "symbolic" for the crew.
"It's the one that they're emotionally attached to," Freed said.

For Thursday's passengers, what mattered was the thrill of having Sullenberger at the controls.

"It was like everyone was taking their first flight," Jay Howard, 47, said after landing in his hometown of Charlotte. He said he felt "lucky to be a part of history."

Jerome Griffin, 34, of Charlotte, said the landing Thursday afternoon "was one of the smoothest I've ever experienced."

Among the passengers waiting to board the flight from New York to Charlotte was Barry Leonard, who was on the Jan. 15 "Miracle on the Hudson" flight.
A Charlotte resident who works in Manhattan, Leonard said he was excited to retake that flight with Sullenberger and Skiles.

"I chose to do this; this is part of therapy for me," he said.

Sullenberger landed the Airbus A320 in the Hudson after a collision with a flock of geese killed power in both engines minutes after takeoff. All 155 people on board were saved, and "Sully" was celebrated as an American hero.

Now that he is back with US Airways he will make some regular flights and will supervise other pilots as part of the airline's safety management team.

He will probably hear applause and cheers whenever he makes announcements from the cockpit — something the self-effacing aviator sounded uncomfortable with.

"I may just have to stop mentioning my name," he said.

nms

I still can't believe that plane landed in one piece. No-power water landings are basically impossible to pull off - the plane normally clips the water with a wing and cartwheels, and everyone dies.