It’s been 10 years since US Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson, with no deaths and only minor injuries. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger became a national hero. See photos.
In this Thursday Jan. 15, 2009 file photo, airline passengers wait to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York, after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. The audio recordings of US Airways Flight 1549, released Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 by the Federal Aviation Administration, reflect the initial tension between tower controllers and the cockpit and then confusion about whether the passenger jet went into the river. (AP Photo/Steven Day) ** EDITORS NOTE RESTRICTIONS: TO USE THIS IMAGE IN AN EDITORIAL MAGAZINE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR AP IMAGES LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE. SPECIAL RATES APPLY **
In this Thursday Jan. 15, 2009 file photo, airline passengers wait to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York, after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. The audio recordings of US Airways Flight 1549, released Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 by the Federal Aviation Administration, reflect the initial tension between tower controllers and the cockpit and then confusion about whether the passenger jet went into the river. (AP Photo/Steven Day) ** EDITORS NOTE RESTRICTIONS: TO USE THIS IMAGE IN AN EDITORIAL MAGAZINE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR AP IMAGES LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE. SPECIAL RATES APPLY **
WASHINGTON — It’s been 10 years since US Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson, with no deaths and only minor injuries.
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was honored as a national hero in the months that followed. On Tuesday, survivors will gather for a toast at the exact time of the crash.
Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia a decade ago Tuesday, with Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles at the controls, three flight attendants and 150 passengers aboard.
Less than a minute later, plane and birds collided at 3,000 feet. Both engines stopped. Sullenberger took the controls and told air traffic controllers he couldn’t make it back to LaGuardia. His choices were a small airport for private aircraft in New Jersey — possibly too far — or the river. Sullenberger picked the water.
(AP Photo/Steven Day)
AP Photo/Steven Day
Airline passengers waited to be rescued on the wings of the Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York, after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. One flight attendant and four passengers were hurt, but everyone else was mostly fine.
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File
The incident came to be known as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson,” and Sullenberger became a national hero. A federal transit official would later describe Flight 1549’s landing as “the most successful ditching in aviation history.”
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
Ferry crews which had witnessed the landing rushed to the sinking plane’s aid and began taking people aboard. Most of the passengers were taken to the New Jersey side of the Hudson, where first responders were waiting. The submerged plane was later moved to a pier in Lower Manhattan.
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
The NTSB found ample evidence of engine damage resulting from a soft-body collision. The left engine was sheered off the wing by the landing, and was recovered in the days that followed.
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
Flight safety officials later used flight simulations, cockpit voice recording, and air traffic control radio chatter to build a timeline leading up to Flight 1549’s landing. The incident triggered a revaluation of safety measures against bird strikes.
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, FILE)
AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, FILE
In 2011, Flight 1549 was trucked Charlotte, North Carolina, where it was put on permanent display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum — where survivors are planning to gather Tuesday to mark the 10-year anniversary, including a toast at the exact time of the crash.
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)