Emergency Water Landing NYC

Overheal

Passengers on board US Airways flight 1549 were given blunt instructions that their plane was about to crash: "Brace for heavy landing," said Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who is now being hailed a hero for safely landing the Airbus without any serious casualties.

Image: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01240/newyorkplane3_1240023c.jpg

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/geeseengine2_090115_mn.jpg

The plane had taken off from runway four at New York's La Guardia airport to the north-east of the city yesterday afternoon with 150 passengers, including a baby, and five crew on board for a routine 1 hour 44 minute flight to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Within three minutes of take-off the plane was in trouble.
A loud bang came from close to the wings on both sides as it hit a flock of geese, and smoke and fire began to appear from the engines.
As the Airbus A320 quickly banked south, the plane rapidly dropped altitude, heading towards the icy waters of the Hudson river.
In the cockpit, the pilot immediately radio air traffic control, reporting a "double bird strike" and quickly discussed the possibility of landing at nearby Teterborough airport in New Jersey or even going back to La Guardia, but it was too late.
As he told the passengers to prepare for a heavy landing the cabin went silent and people began to pray.
"The plane shook a bit... and you could smell smoke and flames and immediately the plane started turning," said passenger Alberto Panero. "All of a sudden, the captain spoke, and that's when we knew were going down.
"Somehow, the plane stayed afloat, and we were all able to get on a raft," continued Mr Panero. "It's just incredible now that everyone's still alive."
As the evacuation began, with the plane beginning to sink slowly into the water, it was women and children first, with the three flight stewards on board carrying out the evacuation drill. The pilot then walked the length of the plane to make sure everyone was off safely.
"I was saying "relax, relax, women and children first," said passenger Jeff Kolodjay. "Then the plane was filling with water."
Asked if it was an orderly evacuation, Mr Kolodjay said: "I would say that for a plane that is dumped in the Hudson River, about as orderly as can be.
"I'm happy to be alive – I'm perfect."
Within moments of the plane touching the water, New York City's emergency response plan went into overdrive, with NY police boats speeding towards the scene, with local passenger ferries – last used in this way to evacuate thousands from lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks – not far behind.
Rescuers began throwing yellow life-jackets into the water, as passengers emerged from the windows of the plane and standing on the wings before hauling hemselves up into the awaiting tug boats before being transferred to the larger ferries.
Some passengers were in the water, others were stood on the roof of the plane itself, with police divers in the river helping those in difficulty.
"A life raft we hopped on sank and those ferries got to us real fast. My legs are soaked, if you look at my pants (trousers) – I am frozen," said Mr Kolodjay from Norwalk, Connecticut, who was heading to North Carolina for a golfing holiday.
"A couple of ladies got some bad leg injuries. But I take my hat off to the pilot. Kudos to him, man, he did a great job."
The passengers appeared to be, "cold but not injured" said a police official, noting that a small number were being treated for hypothermia. Some passengers, draped in blankets provided by the Red Cross, were taken to the New Jersey side of the river, with others taken to the Manhattan side.
"It looks like a miraculous rescue is under way," said Bill White of the USS Intrepid Museum, where a grounded British Airways Concorde looked on as the US Airways jet floated further south, having first gone down parallel to New York's West 50th Street.

Expert's opinion on birdstrikes: http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6658028&page=1


The worst reported injury was of a Flight Attendant that got her leg cut up. Some people managed to get off without even getting wet Zero Fatalities. Amazing stuff. If it had tried a water landing anywhere else most of the survivors would have died from Hypothermia pretty quickly.

Insect Overlord

Hi, welcome to boards 6 hours ago!
May we take your coat?

4zn76tysfajdxp

An File wrote: »

Hi, welcome to boards 6 hours ago!
May we take your coat?

It worked! My time machine worked! I still have four days to warn the world of Bush's suicide bombing...

banshee_bones

i cant swim ! :eek:

Overheal

An File wrote: »

Hi, welcome to boards 6 hours ago!
May we take your coat?

NO! GO AWAY

Insect Overlord

Overheal wrote: »

NO! GO AWAY

Plug

Where's Karoma, surprised he hasn't moved this:rolleyes:

Overheal

to what? Thunderdome with my luck.

No wait i didnt say that!

Overheal

Heres what I dont get. If everyone is in debt, then surely that means everyone owes someone else money. Surely, we as a society should be able to orderly sort the mess out and negate debts in situations where country A owes country B $10 and country B owes country A $10. Obviously its a lot more intertwined than that though, but it should still be doable.

BaconZombie

Proof it was a Terrorist plot.

994

Omg they actually got to use the underseat lifejackets AND the pointless whistle!