Flight 1549 Flying from Laguardia to Charlotte Crashes into the Hudson River

[wayne1218]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Emergency officials are responding to a downed plane in the Hudson River in New York City, according to the city fire and police departments.


The plane entered the water Thursday afternoon following a failed takeoff, the FAA says.

1 of 2 US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 headed from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina, was down in the river after a failed takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The U.S. Coast Guard said units were also responding, and a ferry on site was dropping life jackets into the water.

The plane approached the water at a gradual angle and made a big splash, according to a witness watching from an office building.

"It wasn't going particularly fast. It was a slow contact with the water that it made," said the witness, Ben VonKlemperer.

An Airbus A320 can hold a maximum of 179 passengers and a flight crew of two, depending on the configuration.

[wayne1218]

Thank God no deaths!

[wayne1218]

US Airways Jet Crashes Into Hudson River off New York City
Flight 1549 May Have Gone Down After Bird Strike

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN
January15, 2009

A US Airways jet en route to Charlotte, N.C. from New York City crashed into the Hudson River off the west side of Manhattan with more than 150 people onboard today.


US Airways flight 1549, an A-320 manufactured by Airbus, was carrying as many as 146 passengers and five crew members, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane's pilot reported a bird strike shortly before the plane went down.

New York City police said the rescue operation was ongoing and commuter boats in the area were seen fishing people from the frigid waters and rescuing passengers standing on the plane's wings.


John Ostrom of the Metropolitan Airports Commission out of Minneapolis chairs the Bird Strikes Committee, which advises the aviation industry on wildlife management to eliminate possible hazards.


"There's a variety of ways a bird can take down a plane," he told ABC News today. "There have been instances where birds the size of robins bring a plane down, all the way up to Canada geese."

Birds can fly into plane engines, shutting them down, or cause pilots to lose control of the plane by penetrating the windshield. And there's not much pilots can do to avoid bird strikes, which happen "every day," according Ostrom.

Witness Barbara Sambriski, a researcher at The Associated Press, said she thought, "Why is it so low?" And then, she said, "splash, it hit the water."

[wayne1218]

[vols fan]

And to think we have all been bitching about it being cold all day.Those people wet and freezing is what cold is.Thank God they all seem to be fine.I don't know what time it exactly happened but it looks like alot of rescue workers were there fast.

[wayne1218]

And to think we have all been bitching about it being cold all day.Those people wet and freezing is what cold is.Thank God they all seem to be fine.I don't know what time it exactly happened but it looks like alot of rescue workers were there fast.

About 3:03 Pm est.

[wayne1218]

The plane hits a flock of geese and it takes a plane with 150 people down. Just crazy!

[vols fan]

The plane hits a flock of geese and it takes a plane with 150 people down. Just crazy!

Thats fucking crazy.I saw the first reports come out about 4:00 and there were boats all over the place surrounding the plane.That is the response were looking for when things like this happen.

[kbsooner21]

Holy shit that is nuts! Hopefully everyone recov ers from the frigid and freezing temperatures!

[mavskidd02]

good thing they say not one single death

[10DimeBry]

I'm sure PETA will be suing US Air for killing the geese

[WayneChung]

I'm sure PETA will be suing US Air for killing the geese

that was good dimer !!

[weazel079]

I'm sure PETA will be suing US Air for killing the geese

That must have been pretty ugly for the geese. Thank god everyone is ok as it could have been ugly. I'll take it the pilot did a good job landing the plane.

[10DimeBry]

That must have been pretty ugly for the geese. Thank god everyone is ok as it could have been ugly. I'll take it the pilot did a good job landing the plane.

amazing job this pilot should be regarded as an american hero. unreal job

[weazel079]

amazing job this pilot should be regarded as an american hero. unreal job

Luckily the plane didn't start sinking as soon as the plane landed or it could have been a disaster.