Airbus crashes into Hudson River

A job well done by the pilots! Correct...plural. I doubt the other was just sitting there twiddling his/her thumbs
 
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Quite unbelievable this.

I can't see any mention as to whether they dumped the fuel prior to landing - probably not as they were over a city.

So they glided an Airbus with fuel, passengers, cargo, landed in the middle of a river without even ripping off a wing, without a single death or apparently a single critical injury, got everyone out onto the wings which were level with close to freezing water, rescued everyone.

It's actually more than unbelievable.

And - they will probably all get their luggage back after it's dried out !
 
daveza said:
Quite unbelievable this.

I can't see any mention as to whether they dumped the fuel prior to landing - probably not as they were over a city.

So they glided an Airbus with fuel, passengers, cargo, landed in the middle of a river without even ripping off a wing, without a single death or apparently a single critical injury, got everyone out onto the wings which were level with close to freezing water, rescued everyone.

It's actually more than unbelievable.

And - they will probably all get their luggage back after it's dried out !
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It doesn't look like they had time to dump anything! Not much height and no engines. One report mentioned limited directional control - presumably because of the lack of power and reported fires. It seems that the engines sheared off properly on hitting the water - remember that 737 in Cape Town where the engine fell off on takeoff taking a big chunk of wing with it because the shear-bolts failed, or were the wrong ones, or something IIRC.

Quite unbelievable flying!
 
daveza said:
I can't see any mention as to whether they dumped the fuel prior to landing - probably not as they were over a city.
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Airbus A320 (and Boeing 737) can't dump fuel. I don't know the technical reasons for why they don't have this facility, but I know they aren't equipped with the dumping mechanisms. I'm guessing full loaded they're not too heavy to land safely. The bigger jets - A340 and 747 definitely have this functionality.[/QUOTE]

rwenzori said:
remember that 737 in Cape Town where the engine fell off on takeoff taking a big chunk of wing with it because the shear-bolts failed, or were the wrong ones, or something IIRC.
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Not the first time that happened either. In the early 90s there as a 747 Cargo plain who lost an engine (can't remember why) shortly after take-off. The engine did not break out cleanly, took out the other engine and some of the flaps. Plane crashed into an apartment building.
 
one report said the planes engines came off when it hit the water, which probably helped a lot. I wonder if they design them that way now.
 
Garyvdh said:
one report said the planes engines came off when it hit the water, which probably helped a lot. I wonder if they design them that way now.
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Most of the newish airliners have engines attached with shear-bolts; just like the engine that came off in Cape Town a year or two ago.
 
'Miracle on Hudson' pilot retires

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/03/sullenberger.retires/index.html?hpt=T1

'Miracle on Hudson' pilot retires
By Marnie Hunter, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

* NEW: Sullenberger says he will continue to be advocate for profession
* Emergency water landing made heroes of US Airways Flight 1549 crew
* Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger retiring from airline after nearly 30 years
* Flight 1549 attendant Doreen Welsh retiring after 39 years with airline

(CNN) -- Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a disabled passenger plane on New York's Hudson River in 2009, piloted his last flight for US Airways on Wednesday.

Sullenberger, 59, has retired from the company he joined in 1980.

"I have been fortunate to have followed my passion for most of my life, working in a profession I dearly love, side by side with thousands of wonderful colleagues, including the man flying my final flight with me, Jeff Skiles," Sullenberger said in a statement, referencing the first officer who participated in the emergency landing.

Flight attendant Doreen Welsh, who helped keep all 150 passengers aboard Flight 1549 safe during the emergency, also will retire after 39 years with the airline. She is also 59.

"I am extremely proud of Captain Sullenberger and Doreen for their quick thinking and courageous actions on January 15, 2009," said Doug Parker, US Airways' chairman and CEO.

"They exemplify the professionalism and training US Airways' more than 10,000 pilots and flight attendants demonstrate thousands of times every day across our airline," he said.

Birds that were sucked into the engines of Flight 1549 forced Sullenberger and Skiles to "ditch" the plane, or make an emergency water landing.

The complicated maneuver, which was called an "amazing piece of airmanship" by a former National Transportation Safety Board director, resulted in only a few minor injuries and made heroes of the crew.

Sullenberger took time off to write a book and speak about aviation issues before returning to the cockpit in the fall. He also joined the airline's flight operations safety management team in September.

After his last flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Sullenberger said he was "chosen by circumstance" to be a spokesman for the aviation industry and plans to work independently in that role.

"I'm going to continue to be the same kind of advocate for the profession and for aviation safety I've been for decades, but there are some issues of particular importance right now," he said.

Pilot experience requirements and pilot fatigue are among his chief concerns, he said. Outdated regulations and regional carriers that compete on the basis of cost, consequently hiring less experienced pilots, contribute to the profession's problems.

"Each generation of pilots hopes that they will leave their profession better off than they found it. In spite of the best efforts of thousands of my colleagues, that is not the case today," Sullenberger said in his written statement.

Sullenberger leaves his profession in worse shape than when he started "by any measure," he said.
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reference to a previous event... updated news! :p

... and relishing the panic caused! :D
 
"Each generation of pilots hopes that they will leave their profession better off than they found it. In spite of the best efforts of thousands of my colleagues, that is not the case today," Sullenberger said in his written statement.

Sullenberger leaves his profession in worse shape than when he started "by any measure," he said.
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Very worrying.
 
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