NEW YORK (AP) – A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending 150 on board scrambling onto rescue boats, authorities say. No deaths or serious injuries were immediately reported. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.
Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, appears to have hit one or more birds.
A law enforcement official said that authorities are not aware of any deaths and that the passengers do not appear to be seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rescue was still under way. The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking. Government officials do not believe the crash is related to terrorism. “There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. “We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue.” Witnesses said the plane’s pilot appeared to guide the plane down. “I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it’s landing right in the water,” said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine “Inside Edition.” “This looked like a controlled descent.”
New York City firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard are responding to the crash.
Um … A320 … a small plane??!!?
Looks like the pilot managed to keep the thing in one piece in a water landing. Impressive. I’m betting on a navy pilot. Either way, give that pilot a huge raise.
God, I hope everyone didn’t bite it. This is fatal crash #10 since ’71 for this airline.
Yeah, Check it out on CNN Live. Great photos! A320 is a small plane, smaller than a 737. They had about 130 people or so. Everyone got out ok.
It was cool seeing the ferries swarm the plane and pick up the passengers. Plane floated for quite a while, or long enough.
Kudos for the Pilots.
great story…witnesses here in NYC said the pilot made the smoothest controlled landing on the river possible..kudos to the pilot.
a guy here in the bronx saw one engine burst into flames as the plane was climbing..
i’m willing to bet it was a flock of geese that crossed the plane’s flight path.. i live next to ferry point park a block off the water by the Whitestone Bridge which has alot of LaGuardia inbound and outbound flight traffic
i was just getting home and my g/f pointed out to the geese honking overhead.. -looking up there was a flock of about 15-20 geese flying along the river, which i thought was odd for this time year. -just as we came in the house my g/f pointed out that they just hooked a left
heading towards the Whitestone, (in the direction of LGA..)
maybe 5-10 minutes later we heard the news break on the radio that a plane went down.
-i’m just saying…
good to see pilot had enough power to make a controlled water landing..kudos again to the pilot..
-s
————————-
UPDATE:
so far..DHS has determined that none of the geese had ties to Al-Qaeda.
# 4 pedro said, “#3 Not fatal since seems everyone’s alive”
Just saw that. Great news, great pilot!
btw, local news just said it was Flight 1549 LGA, NY to Charlotte, NC, so far they’re saying all 146 passengers got off ok..no fatalities..nice.
-s
Terrific job by the pilots.
Kudos to the ferry boat captains – at least 4 of them clustered around the aircraft – offloading passengers standing out on the wings.
Don’cha just love happy endings?
I wonder how the obligatory lawsuit will work? US Airways knew or ought to have known birds would fly into their engines?
RBG
“…after striking a bird that disabled two engines.”
Thats one BIG bird!!
I can see it out the window here. Crazy!
The news is already blaming the liberals for this one. Damm hippy bird lovers. =P
Reuters seems to have the best assembly of stills:
http://tinyurl.com/9re9hs
#5 soundwash
UPDATE:
so far..DHS has determined that none of the geese had ties to Al-Qaeda.
That will be determined after the other geese are hunted down and waterboarded in Guantanamo.
This is an older video and may have been posted here previously, but it’s still amazing how cool this pilot was when his plane’s engine ate a bird.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9KhZwsYtNDE&NR=1
Were they in the air long enough for the flight attendants to do the “in the unlikely event of a water landing, your seat cushion may be used as a flotation device.” announcement?
It makes sense that a two engine aircraft losing both engines is going down.
Whatever the back ups are, or the residual control, EVERY pilot should be expected to make a smooth landing, after all, HE’S in the aircraft too. These things would be much more disastrous if Congress were somehow responsible for any need for immediate response.
So==multiple bird strikes meaning “a flock of birds.” The pilots might well be responsible for this. Did they have their eyes out of the cockpit on take-off climbout or where they busy looking at radio controls?
Flocks of birds are supposed to be AVOIDED!!!!!!!!
Until more info is in, I give the Pilots a FAIL!!!!
It was those f*@king Canadian geese!! Dubya invaded the wrong country!!
Damn you Canada!
And it happened on the coldest week of the new year – damn you Al Gore and your @*$#! global warming!!
Is it a good sign to start a new year with a miracle?
🙂
#15 Mr Diesel
PETA is suing the pilot and US Airways for killing the geese and violating their air space. EPA is investigating water contamination.
Kudos to the pilot for the great landing. Also to the boats who helped out.
Good ol’ German engineering.
No really, if that was a Boeing it might not have been able to glide and crash “safely”.
Glad everyone is safe but terrifying either way.
Impressive to see how Twitter and other microblogging as a new medium. Wow.
I’m waiting for that picture while the plane was going down inside and outside the plane.
I’m sure it’s out there
In other news, car slides off icy road into ditch. Homeland Security officials cannot confirm that terrorism was involved, but nor can they confirm that it wasn’t.
Outstanding piloting by the cockpit crew, outstanding cabin crew actions.
To my knowledge, there has NEVER been a water “landing” that looked just like the pictures in the seatback safety card.
This flight crew should get a parade.
And a roast goose dinner.
I’ll bet they didn’t even have time to hand out the credit card applications.
Also, must see: http://tinyurl.com/7rpntp
11. It only takes a little bird to FOD a engine out.
18.Are you Serious? He was already in the air for 3 min I dont think you know how fast that can happen.
I just dont think most people know how easy it is to FOD a engine.
Judging from the TV pictures, it wasn’t perfect. It looks like many passengers got their feet wet.
Good job to the pilots.
Capt. Sully and his crew are amazing heroes! I hope President Obama gives them all medals, they definitely deserve it.
I usually tune out the stewardess when they’re going thru their “flotation device” spiel because I never heard of a successful water landing. Guess I’d better start paying attention.
Nice to have some good news for once.
Two hull losses in the span of one month and no deaths. That’s pretty amazing.
I think the crew and passangers did great. I think the rescue people did great. I’m greatful that things worked out as well as it did because normally it doesn’t.
The only _small_ thing I think they need to plan for next time is if they have enough time stick inflatables under the wings and in the plane to make it easier to get the plane out of the river.
Some large inflatable floats connected by ropes on either side of the plane would be one way to prevent it or a ship in trouble from sinking.
Just a stray thought.