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Cathay777 · Member Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 84

Hi
US Airways Flight 1549 (possible A319) down inicy Hudson river, New York.

Air Temp is 18'F ..water temp 40-42' F

Flight 1549 departed Laguardia for Charlotte.

About 6-7 NY Ferries responding to the rescue.

Live CNN & Channel 2 and 4

Airbus still floating and listing... no dept of water known.

Cathay777 · Member Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 84

A320, 146 on board + 5 crew...

Departed 31 and turned south....

Channel 2.... both engines possible bird stikes .(geese)

747-237 · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:05 am Post subject:

EVERYONE SURVIVED !! THANK GOD !!!

Remarkable water landing & successful evacuation. Plane was afloat for about 45-50mins before sinking.

747-237 · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:28 am Post subject:

Water temp = 32.5 F...barely liquid !

Cathay777 · Member Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 84

Thank GOD , all survived.

Hats off to the crew... textbook landing and evacuation in harsh harsh condtion. They had very little time to fly her to a water landing while avoiding NY skyline and NJ heavy populated area.

rutvij · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:06 am Post subject:

THANK GOD! THANK GOD!!

3 Cheers for that amazing effort.

747-237 · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:30 am Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:42 am Post subject:

Nimish · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:44 am Post subject:

Totally amazing to see the pictures and hear about everyone out safely!

Would love to see the video of the plane ditching in water - that vid must be worth millions (if someone grabbed one that is).

Congratulations to the crew for a job "perfectly" done!
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Cathay777 · Member Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 84

For some of the members who might have not experience cold temps first hand, let me tell you those images are down right spine shivering.

New York and New England is under the grips of cold cold "Alberta Clipper" and a slow moving mass off cold air is filtering from North. The cold temps are not seen in some years and what makes this more heroic is that the water temps are no higher than 40'F.

Survivability in those frigid waters is in minutes.
Today's High: 20'F. Tonight's Low:7'F
Tomorrow's High:18'F Brutal cold is predicted till Sat!

Also, Hudson has pretty strong current and as you probably noticed airbus did go quite a few blocks down stream!

Again as I see these pics, its as the Mayor described "Miracle on the 40th Street"

sammyk · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:14 am Post subject:

Good to hear everyone made it out OK.

That is some disgusting water.

flightgearpilot · Member Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 711 Location: VOBL

Wow! I mean WOW!!! Shocked

Always thought that ditching over water never worked. Congratulations to all the flight crew! I used to be skeptical whenever the FAs teach us how to use the life jacket, telling myself, "Yeah, if I'm alive first.." Although the crash was unfortunate, the fact that everyone survived is just superb news.

flightgearpilot · Member Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 711 Location: VOBL

Gosh! I'm still shaking my head in disbelief. How did the pilot manage to pull it off?

Recently there was this documentary on the Ethiopian 767 crash in the Indian ocean in 1996. The Boeing and Airbus passenger jets are quite unsuitable for a water landing. Their wing-mounted engines are below the fuselage level, making them act like giant scoops when landing on water. This makes them shear off from the wing and the associated forces can break the fuselage apart. This is in contrast to planes like DC-9 or Citation-X which have fuselage mounted engines. The entire underbelly of such aircraft is at a single level making it much more feasible for a water landing.

All I can imagine is that the pilot would have entered the water at a very high angle of attack. He must have come gliding very close to the water and pulled up the nose sharply that would have rapidly decreased air speed and make the aircraft literally drop on the water tail first..

In any case, one of the finest piece of flying and handling an emergency.. Very Happy

Kabir · Member Joined: 24 Oct 2008 Posts: 791 Location: DEL

Kudos to the pilot, and nothing else!

The pictures are absolutely surreal, almost impossible to believe! Shocked

HAWK21M · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:52 am Post subject:

Good Job by the flying & cabin crew.Glad all persons got out safetly.
Was wondering if the Aircraft could be carried out by helicopters in one piece.

regds
MEL
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Karan69 · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 1334

Firstly good to know everyone is safe,

The pilot seems to be a former Airforce pilot for 7 yrs and had been on the boards and panels of the NTSB , so it should explain his calmness in such a situation'

Job well done

Karan

sreenath_y · Member Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 528

Its indeed a relief to hear 100% survivors... sad that the cute airbus is gone now. Sad

Hats off to the flightdeck crew..!! Its scary to lose both engines to bird ingestion on T/o. I hope the hopeless souls at our apts learn from this and start setting up some tough guidelines to avoid bird hits. This could have happened to anyone.

karatecatman · Guest

Copyright pictures

Amateur video shots of the plane before it ditched.

***

Seat cushions --- floatation devices

The pilot -- Chesley Sullenberger

Statue of Liberty in the background

US Airways cabin crew -- leaving after making sure all passengers are okay.

***
Congrats to all crew members -- who work hard everyday to make flying safe and pleasant and who display great acts of airmanship when required.

And the Airbus A320 -- tough little plane!!! With this case, has been put to the test in almost every situation possible.

ParisFlyer · Member Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 39

I say trully superb wonderful, fantastic, etc....

karatecatman · Guest

Update
F.A.A. records showed that the aircraft involved in the crash had made at least two other emergency landings in this decade. On Feb. 2, 2002, pilots spotted flames in the left engine, and on June 23, 2003, indicators warned about problems with a landing gear. A later inspection showed it was a false warning.

flightgearpilot · Member Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 711 Location: VOBL

Say, isn't that a BA Concorde suspended from the cranes in one of the pictures by KCM? What is it doing ther? Question

747-237 · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 5:59 pm Post subject:

airindia787 · Member Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Posts: 770 Location: DAB & ZTF

The Interprid was taken into service for 2 years starting in 2006. During that time the Concorde was taken to a storage facility where it was very poorly maintained Sad

.

Now that the ship is back they are returning the Concorde.

Anyway, I'm out of words to describe the job that was done by the crew aboard US1549 yesterday.

Goes to show that the safety videos and instructions are not abitrarily drawn.
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karatecatman · Guest

texdravid · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:06 am Post subject:

Look at the Wikipedia article on the pilot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesley_Sullenberger

He is a Texan, basically a genius, and a successful businessman AND a pilot.

He is also a Conservative.

There you have it. Texan. Conservative. Genius. Success.

Boy, I have a lot in common with this guy! Wink

Thank God we didn't have a commie democrat from Washington D.C. who got by due to affirmative action and was thinking about Obama and getting a hard on whilst flying this plane!
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Cathay777 · Member Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 84

karatecatman · Guest

Question for all:

Reports are the aircraft was constantly moving with the current and a few hours later was in more shallow water (about 14 feet deep). But not been answered or clarified is how deep was the water at the point where the aircraft ditched.

Would it be 25 feet or less?

And was the rear end of the plane resting on the river bed or was the whole craft floating and then sinking in stages?

karatecatman · Guest

Day 2
Copyright pictures

Aircraft secured and crane will eventually lift it out, most probably onto a barge.

Airbus team in the US is to begin to examine the plane.
Most of the handbaggage is being removed
Hunt now on for the detached engines (CFM)

***
After investigations are over, hope this aircraft is moved to an aviation museum.

HAWK21M · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:18 pm Post subject:

These Bird flocks taking out aircraft have becoome quite serious these days & measures to counter this would be needed to be in place soon.

regds
MEL
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Think of the Brighter side !!!

karatecatman · Guest

www.app.com/article/20090116/NEWS/90116131/1001/rss
Area business designed equipment used in US Airways rescue
By Ed Johnson • STAFF WRITER • January 16, 2009

To a handful of people in a Route 34 office there was a quiet sense of pride as passengers from a downed U.S. Airways jet were rescued from the the bone-chilling waters of the Hudson River Thursday.

They're the engineering staff at Air Cruisers, the people who design the rafts and escape ramps for the Airbus A320, as well as about 60 percent of the world's passenger airplanes, said John O'Donnell of Brielle, the company's president.

It's the equipment that few passengers ever think about, he added, but it's equipment that, when needed, is needed right away.

So, while ferry crews and Coastguardsmen were busy plucking survivors from life rafts and the wings of the downed aircraft, the crew at Air Cruisers looked at their rescue equipment and gave each other contented glances as they saw that the ramps and rafts had done their jobs.

"Look, the real credit goes to the pilot and the rescue crews that were out there,"O'Donnell said. "But it did feel good to know that our stuff did its job. It's a very satisfying feeling, especially when all (155) people survived."

There are actually two sets of flotation devices on the larger passenger jets, O'Donnell said. The interior floats are also the ramps that are used to let passengers slide to safety. Outside, hidden from view, are another set of rafts that break free from the plane when the emergency doors are popped open, he added.

All of those went into operation Thursday, according to news reports.

Most people don't realize how often the evacuation ramps are used, O'Donnell said.

"Actually, about every 10 days one of our slides are used somewhere in the world for passenger evacuation," he said.

The rafts are used less frequently.

"It's not often a jetliner ditches," he said. "I hope people realize what a tremendous job that pilot did. It was unbelievable. We're just humbled to have been a small part of it."

ryder1650 · Member Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 554

karatecatman · Guest

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Assists NTSB in US Airways Flight 1549 Official Investigation

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) today was officially selected to participate in the investigation of US Airways Flight 1549 being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent U.S. government agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. AFA-CWA represents US Airways flight attendants, including the three flight attendants who successfully evacuated 150 passengers in less than 90 seconds as Flight 1549 sank into the Hudson River yesterday afternoon.

"As the representative of more than 55,000 aviation safety and security professionals, AFA-CWA has played an important role in NTSB investigations for decades," said AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend. "We once again applaud the professionalism of our US Airways colleagues who demonstrated to the world the essential role flight attendants serve on the aircraft."

AFA-CWA will assist federal investigators in gathering information related to the policies and procedures followed during yesterday's emergency evacuation. AFA-CWA will support the NTSB to help determine what happened and identify potential safety improvements to better ensure accident survivability.

"The flight attendants performed their safety duties in textbook fashion," said Mike Flores, AFA-CWA US Airways President. "Their years of experience and training made all the difference once the aircraft was in the water."

karatecatman · Guest

http://tinyurl.com/9n6v2y
FOX

Link:
Coast Guard Video Shows Descent of Flight 1549
Friday, 16 Jan 2009, 11:29 PM EST

The U.S. Coast Guard released this video showing US Airways Flight 1549 hitting the Hudson River.
MyFoxNY.com -- This incredible video released by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the descent of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River.

karatecatman · Guest

Mike Starr, a ferry operations manager, credited a hammock-like maritime rescue tool called a Jason cradle with helping save passengers from the water as quickly as possible.

***
Link:
www.gml.co.uk/userfiles/JCILFFLY002.pdf

www.jasonscradle.co.uk/index2.asp?upid=1&pn=Home&lng=

Guess it will take a century for such equipment to reach India or for personnel to be aware of such things. Rolling Eyes

karatecatman · Guest

The Coast Guard video is a must-watch. Starts from its splashing down. Shows the aircraft drifting fast and past the parked Concorde.

That's when couldn't help noticing these things!

It is in a way kind of ironic.
2 Aerospatiale products here. The Concorde and the A320. Both in America. And kind of reflective as well. While no one could, unfortunately, be saved in the Concorde disaster, everyone in the Airbus case, is saved. (And both aircraft in the same video frame so to speak!)

In both in instances, it was foreign object ingestion.
Another things was the nature of the cases. Air to land (Concorde) and air to water (A320).
In both cases, ATC was aware of the nature of the problems and tuned in as crew were in touch.

texdravid · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:12 pm Post subject:

Cathay and Rider,

You guys must have missed the Wink

in my comments.

As I knew you would. Rolling Eyes

But now that you have called me an idiot, let me be the first to call you guys humorless cretins.

By the way, in a humorous way, I was trying to point out a backstory in this amazing tale.

That is, this pilot was superbly trained in the military, spent a lifetime in commercial service, and got to where he is by skill and commitment.

Just like in medicine, society, and aviation, that commitment and skill level is just not there any more. Now, it is not due to affirmative action or the uncanny need of the bean counters in America to advance unworthy applicants due to race alone, but also due to budget cutbacks.

20 years from now, you will not see pilots like him anymore flying our skies. Replacing him (at least in America) will be people lacking such experience, and more importantly, lacking the prerequistes to even get that job in the first place.

So yes, just as my patients want someone board-certified, experienced, and has acceptable results, we should demand no less from other aspects of society, such as aviation and pilots.

So the answer to your lame question is: Do I want/care if a black pilot/woman/Cherokee Indian flies the plane?

Of course not, so long as he/she/it had the prerequisites to even apply for the job, was certified and retrained, and a great safety record with no behavioral or other issues. But tell me that he had the lowest score of all applicants, got by with Jesse Jackson's help, was put into that position by some corporate board seeking favor with liberals, then yes, that pilot shouldn't come within 50 yards of a commercial airliner.

Unfortunately, in today's America, it is the latter story that is more common......but hey, it is the new "multicultural America"!!!!
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Charter member, Indians against Obama

Cathay777 · Member Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 84

karatecatman · Guest

www.citynews.ca/news/news_31041.aspx
It seems almost counterintuitive, but many of the water landings in the past have also resulted in many - if not all - of the passengers emerging alive. The water may seem like a dangerous place to ditch a plane, but it's far safer than a crash on land, which may result not only in a fire but death for bystanders.

Here's a look at some water ditchings of the past that had at least some relatively happy endings.

1956

A Pam Am Boeing 377 loses four engines over the Pacific and falls into the ocean in the middle of the night. It manages to stay afloat until the sun comes up, allowing all 31 on board to be rescued.

1956

A Northwest Orient plane is forced to drop into the water in Washington's Puget Sound due to a mistake by one of the crew members surrounding the craft's engines. Five people die in the water from drowning or hypothermia but 33 others onboard escape with their lives.

1963

An amazing story of survival that echoes what happened in New York City. A Russian Aeroflot plane, running low on fuel and with 52 people on board, avoids hitting a tugboat as it plunges into the Neva River. The little ship chugs to the rescue and saves all those on board. Incredibly everyone escapes without injury.

1970

An ALM DC-9 ran out of fuel after making numerous attempts to land in low visibility on the island of St. Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles. It plunged into water that was several kilometres deep and rescue helicopters rushed to the scene. Forty of the 63 onboard lived to tell the tale.

1996

A hijacking led an Ethiopian 767 to run out of fuel and fall into shallow water, not far from shore. The plane broke into three pieces as the commandeers and the pilots fought with each other, causing the craft to roll. There were 175 passengers on board during the terrifying incident. Just 52 survived, mostly by hanging on to the broken pieces of fuselage.

2002

A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737 experiences an engine flameout in terrible weather on Yogyakarta, Java Island. As hail and rain pour down and with the pilots unable to restart the motors, they're forced to hit the water. There were 60 people on board, but only one, a flight attendant, was killed. One reason for the survival rate - the plane remained intact and wound up in depths that were about knee-deep.

Some errors in this report.

karatecatman · Guest

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

Amazing.... waiting to hear more about the technical side of this.
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