NEW YORK (AP) – A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending 150 on board scrambling onto rescue boats, authorities say. No deaths or serious injuries were immediately reported. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.
Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, appears to have hit one or more birds.
A law enforcement official said that authorities are not aware of any deaths and that the passengers do not appear to be seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rescue was still under way. The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking. Government officials do not believe the crash is related to terrorism. “There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. “We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue.” Witnesses said the plane’s pilot appeared to guide the plane down. “I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it’s landing right in the water,” said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine “Inside Edition.” “This looked like a controlled descent.”
New York City firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard are responding to the crash.
Watching Bloomberg’s news conference now. I’m waiting for him to tell US Airways they have 48 hours to get the plane out of the river, or it will be towed.
Very glad everyone got out alive.
#15 Mr Diesel
PETA is suing the pilot and US Airways for killing the geese and violating their air space. EPA is investigating water contamination.
Kudos to the pilot for the great landing. Also to the boats who helped out.
Good ol’ German engineering.
No really, if that was a Boeing it might not have been able to glide and crash “safely”.
Glad everyone is safe but terrifying either way.
Impressive to see how Twitter and other microblogging as a new medium. Wow.
I’m waiting for that picture while the plane was going down inside and outside the plane.
I’m sure it’s out there
In other news, car slides off icy road into ditch. Homeland Security officials cannot confirm that terrorism was involved, but nor can they confirm that it wasn’t.
Outstanding piloting by the cockpit crew, outstanding cabin crew actions.
To my knowledge, there has NEVER been a water “landing” that looked just like the pictures in the seatback safety card.
This flight crew should get a parade.
And a roast goose dinner.
I’ll bet they didn’t even have time to hand out the credit card applications.
Also, must see: http://tinyurl.com/7rpntp
11. It only takes a little bird to FOD a engine out.
18.Are you Serious? He was already in the air for 3 min I dont think you know how fast that can happen.
I just dont think most people know how easy it is to FOD a engine.
Judging from the TV pictures, it wasn’t perfect. It looks like many passengers got their feet wet.
Good job to the pilots.
Capt. Sully and his crew are amazing heroes! I hope President Obama gives them all medals, they definitely deserve it.
I usually tune out the stewardess when they’re going thru their “flotation device” spiel because I never heard of a successful water landing. Guess I’d better start paying attention.
Nice to have some good news for once.
Two hull losses in the span of one month and no deaths. That’s pretty amazing.
I think the crew and passangers did great. I think the rescue people did great. I’m greatful that things worked out as well as it did because normally it doesn’t.
The only _small_ thing I think they need to plan for next time is if they have enough time stick inflatables under the wings and in the plane to make it easier to get the plane out of the river.
Some large inflatable floats connected by ropes on either side of the plane would be one way to prevent it or a ship in trouble from sinking.
Just a stray thought.
#28–heavy==how much heavy jet time have you logged as first pilot?
Its true enough though that birds can come up on you without time to react. Other times, you have time to change course or to raise your nose sharply just before impact.
Question==if you are put into a situation with NO options and you basically ride out the situation, how “heoric” and skillful are you?
The old definition of a hero applies: The victim of someone elses mistake.
Just for reference, here’s what happens when you don’t know what you’re doing.
#34–QB==its pretty obvious to me that that Pilot did not have power or control to his flight control surfaces. Do you think a pilot with 1000′s of hours of experience would dip his wings thru inattention or lack of skill? Maybe he just didn’t have that heroic attitude?
Silly Hoomans. Always looking for “heros” when it is wonderful enough to have competent people in positions doing what they were trained to do.
What was Sully’s option? Run back into the passenger compartment and yell he didn’t know what to do?
Is this mindless attitude that gives us the political/religious culture that we have today.
Well the AP report was wrong to say the plane crashed into the river. It very purposely landed on the Hudson River, because it lost both engines and probably would have CRASHED onto the hard runway. Crashing into a river, implies it took a nose dive and had little chance of rescue. It was probably a very odd sight to see, but no doubt the plane came down and skimmed the water until it plowed in to a stop. And while no passengers died. There were minor injuries and exposure trauma.
The thing that bugs me about this is the apparent near disregard for bird strike conditions, but the airport. They watch the air traffic and weather conditions. But I guess the bird flocks they ignore and hope for the best. Can’t delay a flight for a couple dozen geese or something. Well if herds of cows flew, they would! They’re just playing the odds that nothing bad will happen, by scheduling flights with little regard to anticipating this reoccurring problem. It was already noted that such flocks DO show up on radar.
BTW, the Tv news didn’t loose the opportunity to point out air travels high survival rate for crash landings. Calling the reverse a myth. But just what are they labeling as plane crashes, that skews the percentage as high as 95%!? I would call a crash, a landing that the plane can’t reasonably be recovered from for future service. IOW, a total right off. So I’m wondering if the industry isn’t calling fender benders as “crashes” too? Just to make the survival rate numbers more favorable? All the planes that have either exploded in the air or nose dived straight into the ground, that I’ve heard about over the last 20 years, have had like a zero survival rate. So how did it suddenly get to 95%? Have there been hundreds of very very minor crashes, since then. Is a landing gear tire coming off, considered a “crash”. Is bumping too hard into the airport terminal considered a “crash”? Who’s making up these cheery Reagonomic like safety figures?
#37–Glenn== excellent contrarian post. I thought the same thing.
Its all definitional isn’t it?
#18 bobbo.. your such an arse sometimes..
while i recognize your sarcasm..it does reveal alot in the somewhat stubborn stances you take
on many issues..most interesting.
—-
-anyway…here is a great money shot of the plane sitting all alone before any rescue efforts show up, and only a few people on the wing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorylam/3200201574/sizes/l/
kudos for composites…note how high the plane is sitting out of the water..the A320 definitely floats very well..
also of note is the great timing tide-wise
of the landing..note how calm the water is..the hudson river is one fast river when on the slopes of the tide cycle.. 3pm is right around the time direction change.
of all the lousy timing factors that created the incident, good timing prevailed on the otherside of the curve to bring things nicely
in balance.
all in all, the only real downside was that the ebil, slimy BofAC banking execs on board didn’t accidentally drown while stepping onto the wing.. *rimshot*
-s
#39–soundwash==thank you. I wouldn’t call it sarcasm though===would you?
I’ve always made the best decisions in my life when presented with a different point of view and then allowed to think thru the issue again. Then again. Then again.
That is a wonderful picture in your link. Eerie solitude.
I’ve heard one woman had two broken legs. I wonder how that happened?