Pilot Heroics
There was something exhilarating about the survival of the 155 passengers on US Airways 1549. Bound from LaGuardia for Charlotte it was in the air only minutes when it struck a flock of birds. Both engines were knocked out. The pilot thought he might make it to Teeterboro Airport in New Jersey, but then no. He put the plane down in the Hudson River, maneuvering to a smooth landing on the choppy surface. Incredibly, everyone survived the miraculous landing, despite it being one of the coldest days of the year – the air was 18 degrees, the water only 35.
Perhaps I’m making more of this than it was, though I can’t imagine that a single one of the passengers or their relatives would have thought so. It seemed incredible that in this time of great tumult in the world, with countries torn apart by war, with the global economy in free fall, that the pilot could put the powerless plane so smoothly on the surface of the river.
Probably other pilots and other planes could have been similarly successful, though it’s not something easy to imagine. Putting any plane down without engines – especially a jet – is a stunning achievement. To do it on water is breath-taking. That everyone survived the landing is indeed worthy of the term miracle.
This struck me as an American triumph; I’m not sure why.
Maybe because I’m a pilot myself – humbled and honored to share the title though I certainly don’t approach their experience or skill level – that I find their response to the emergency so electrifying. More than ability, this pilot walked up and down the aisle of his sinking plane to make sure there was no one left on board.
The response on the water was immediate; boats, helicopters, and rescue divers. Most people escaped, cold and wet, but without injury. How remarkable. The aircraft survived intact, and was towed down river and tied up near the southern tip of Manhattan.
The baggage arrival has been delayed.
©2009 SetonnoteS
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