Are you guys watching this!?!?

[GrayMatterWife]

This is a miracle! Around 3:30 PM (Eastern), a USAirways Airbus flew into a flock of geese as it departed LaGuardia (NYC), resulting in the loss of both engines. The plane had to ditch into the Hudson River, and landed--fully in-tact, bellydown--near the USS Intrepid (around the 50s, I believe). ALL 150-or-so passengers and crew were evacuated from the plane, which was half-submerged in the ICY river--and survived!!

HOLY COW!

This is the first time in aviation history that a water-hitch of a jetliner did not result in deaths. The pilots and crew are incredible. Aviation expert commentators on the news are saying this is a one-in-million kind of occurrence.

[MrsK]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

I just overheard my co-workers chatting about this.

[Bittersweet]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

Simply amazing!! It’s hard to believe this is the second crash in two months without any casualties.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

I've been watching it since shortly after it happened. That pilot is going to get huge kudos for saving all of those people. Very surreal.

[Tenacious_D]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

My biggest fear. I am so happy that everyone was ok and that I was not home to witness it. My apt. window faces the hudson river and I see planes and helicopters all the time. That might have been the end of my flying forever. They clearly had an awesome pilot!

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

I've been watching it since shortly after it happened. That pilot is going to get huge kudos for saving all of those people. Very surreal.

oy. considering how much my dh travels, this really freaks me out. i'm so glad it turned out that way!

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

Not only did the pilot perfectly land the plane so it stayed flat and didn't tumble (as has happened in other water ditchings) but he walked through the half submerged plane TWICE before exiting himself to make sure everyone was off and safe.

God bless him and his family! What an amazing person!

[JaneDoe]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

Not only did the pilot perfectly land the plane so it stayed flat and didn't tumble (as has happened in other water ditchings) but he walked through the half submerged plane TWICE before exiting himself to make sure everyone was off and safe.

God bless him and his family! What an amazing person!

I want him as my pilot when we fly to Hawaii in two weeks. Now, I will take the flight attendant's safety instructions seriously about "in the event of a water landing you flotation device is located beneath your seat . . ." Before this, I thought there was no such thing as a "water landing."

[houseelf]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

I *just* read that it had been two years without a major FAA incident. I thought, "ACK, don't tempt the Gods! Quit talking about this!"

Not that I'm superstitious or anything....

Still, I'm glad it all went so well.

Kelly

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

Not only did the pilot perfectly land the plane so it stayed flat and didn't tumble (as has happened in other water ditchings) but he walked through the half submerged plane TWICE before exiting himself to make sure everyone was off and safe.

God bless him and his family! What an amazing person!

You know what I thought when I read about this guy (and I know this is totally a stereotype, but, oh well...)? I thought, "That's a real man."

[Vishenka69]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

We were driving home when MIL called with "OMG, a plane crashed on 57th street!" I called my mom right away and she said it landed in the Hudson not on 57th itself. The only good thing about landing in the Hudson, is that there are tons of ferries and boats on it at all times and the rescue was fairly quick.

LGA had lots of accidents over the years because they have a shorter than average runway and it ends at the water's edge. I remember a few years back when a plane didn't take off in time and was half hanging over the water.

[DCJenn]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

I always did everything I could to avoid LaGuardia when I did my weekly travelling.

(my nightmare was a USAirways 12 person plane that almost ran out of gas, again the pilots were totally smooth.)

That pilot is a true hero at a time when we think movies stars are heroes!

Jenn

[Tenacious_D]

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I also avoid LGA like the plague. When I traveled a lot for work, I made sure to get flights that left JFK. That damn runway is so short. When landing there is absolutely no room for error.

[Meenah]

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Amazing!!!!!

How long do you think it will be before it is a movie of the week?

[Michele]

Re: Are you guys watching this!?!?

It's great that he landed it and all that...

but do you really think it was accidental that his grades and IQ have been released??