# Air Bus Down in the Hudson River **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493 "2009-01-15T21:05:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/61 "2009-01-16T00:53:55Z")
fantastic landing! this is an impressive pilot. they are reporting that the plane floated for about 2 hours. perhaps they will give everyone on the plane polar bear awards, or at least free membership in a polar bear club. it is wicked cold dry on land today in the north east, let alone getting soaked in the hudson. i also thought of the d.c. crash of long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Improvisor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/62 "2009-01-16T01:04:44Z")
This is the kind of thing that helps restore my faith in humans… [ul] [li]A pilot doing a great job avoiding a city, making a great landing, and making sure everyone got out of his aircraft[/li][li]Passengers not panicing (too much) and getting out quickly and safely and helping each other[/li][li]The passenger ferry captain being there within minutes to start taking on passengers[/li][li]Tug boat captains and crews steaming to the site and hooking cables under the plane to help keep it afloat[/li][/ul] All without some great masterplan or government telling people what to do. Just people taking charge, doing the right thing, and using everything at their disposal to help other people. Good stuff. And to figure, in real time, all this happened in the time it would take me to walk down from my office to the Starbucks and get a cup of coffee… ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/63 "2009-01-16T01:06:26Z")
The skill of this water landing makes me wonder if this pilot had any prior experience with seaplanes. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/64 "2009-01-16T01:08:05Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Regarding the cases of plane crashes were all people survived, one has to note that it is more difficult for all to survive when the crash is on water than on land. Is this the first time when all the passengers and crew survived when a big commercial jet plane crash landed on water? > > I do remember that in the case of the African plane that got hijacked a few years ago, it broke apart when it crash landed at sea and many people died even though the ocean was calm. > > [Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_961) > > I think the US Airways pilot deserves a medal. This, from my knowledge, is the first time modern commercial airliner greases in a landing on water, the case of the Tupolev 124 in mnemosyne´s link, while it’s a jetliner the Tu-124 had engines buried in the wingroots. A modern jetliner usually has the engines hanging under the wings, and when they hit water chances are that they’ll break off, tear the wings appart, start a fire ball and… well, it really puts the capper in any holiday plans. They should make an aviation trophy with the pilots name, that was the definition of skill. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/65 "2009-01-16T01:15:42Z")
> [@Improvisor](#): > > Hurray for Sully!! > > Walked the plane twice to make sure everyone got out… bad ass. Sadly, folks with that kind of skill, dedication and courage too often [don’t live to receive their accolades](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rescorla). ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/66 "2009-01-16T01:19:34Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Regarding the cases of plane crashes were all people survived, one has to note that it is more difficult for all to survive when the crash is on water than on land. Is this the first time when all the passengers and crew survived when a big commercial jet plane crash landed on water? > > I do remember that in the case of the African plane that got hijacked a few years ago, it broke apart when it crash landed at sea and many people died even though the ocean was calm. > > [Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_961) > > I think the US Airways pilot deserves a medal. It has happened a few times before. Wikipedia mentions some here: > **[Water landing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_landing)** > > In aviation, a water landing is, in the broadest sense, an aircraft landing on a body of water. Seaplanes, such as floatplanes and flying boats, land on water as a normal operation. Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on the water surface in an aircraft not designed for the purpose, and it is a very rare occurrence. Controlled flight into the surface and uncontrolled flight ending in a body of water (including a runway excursion into water) are generally not considered water landings Sea... Also, not mentioned at the above site is the case in 1968 when a JAL DC-8 accidentally landed in San Francisco Bay, mentioned here: > **[Japan Airlines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines)** > > Japan Airlines (JAL) is a major Japanese airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The airline's main hubs are Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai and Itami airports. The JAL group comprises Japan Airlines, Hokkaido Air System, J-Air, Japan Air Commuter, Japan Transocean Air and Ryukyu Air Commuter for domestic feeder services, and JAL Cargo for cargo and mail services, as well as low-cost carriers Zipair Tokyo and Jetstar Japan. > JAL was established... Ed ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/67 "2009-01-16T01:22:08Z")
I’ve been up and down the Hudson an lot and if you aren’t familiar with it, it could surprise you at just how WIDE it really is. And of course it’s long. Perhaps the very cold weather helped keep other boats off the river. I would imagine if the river was full of boats it’d have been harder to land. I have only flown in to LaGuardia when I go to NYC, but the water make the runways always looks too small to me. Obviously it’s not but it looks that way when you land there. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/68 "2009-01-16T01:42:22Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The skill of this water landing makes me wonder if this pilot had any prior experience with seaplanes. Doesn’t look like it, but of all the pilots you want flying your plane in an emergency, Sully was the guy. He owns his own company, [Safety Reliability Methods, Inc](http://safetyreliability.com/about_us). His bio at that site: > [@](#): > > SRM Founder Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, III is a captain for a major U.S. airline with over 40 years of flying experience. A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, he has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member. He has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations. His ALPA safety work led to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular. > > Working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists, he coauthored a paper on error inducing contexts in aviation. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Crew Resource Management (CRM) course used at his airline and has taught the course to hundreds of his colleagues. > > Sully is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.) and the University of Northern Colorado (M.A.). He was a speaker on two panels at the High Reliability Organizations (HRO) 2007 International Conference in Deauville, France May 29-31, 2007. He has just been named a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. Bad ass indeed! His wife was [pretty freaked](http://www-cgi.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/01/15/usairways.landing/index.html), as you can imagine. > [@](#): > > Sullenberger’s wife told CNN that she was stunned to hear the news from her husband after it was all over. > > "I hadn’t been watching the news. I’ve heard Sully say to people, ‘It’s rare for an airline pilot to have an incident in their career,’ " said Lori Sullenberger of Danville, California. > > “When he called me he said, ‘There’s been an accident.’ At first I thought it was something minor, but then he told me the circumstances and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school.” ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/69 "2009-01-16T01:45:27Z")
> [@Improvisor](#): > > Some of the other passengers were saying by the time they got out they were walking up out of waste deep water. So this guy walked a sinking plane twice in waste deep water to check for people. How on earth was he able to fit down that narrow aisle, with those huge testicles? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/70 "2009-01-16T01:57:32Z")
I can’t help but think that the flock of Geese we saw flying was the one that caused this. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/71 "2009-01-16T02:03:08Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > How on earth was he able to fit down that narrow aisle, with those huge testicles? _Snort._ I heard they had to rescue some people from the water. Did anyone suffer hypothermia? I think it’s safe to say all of America Hearts Sully. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/72 "2009-01-16T02:09:12Z")
oh yeah, people are being treated for hypothermia in new jersey as well as new york city. divers got some people out of the water, so some were totally soaked. some just soaked to the waist. hospital reports are that most will be released tonight. there were some broken bones so some will stay in hospital. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/73 "2009-01-16T02:10:33Z")
Lets also give some love to the Captains of those ferries who were on the scene by the time the doors were open. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/74 "2009-01-16T02:11:12Z")
Y’know, a little morbid thought, I had thought to myself a little while back when reading about airline incidents, gee, it’s been some time since USelessAir last put a bird in the water off of LaGuardia… > [@Ale](#): > > This, from my knowledge, is the first time modern commercial airliner greases in a landing on water, the case of the Tupolev 124 in mnemosyne´s link, while it’s a jetliner the Tu-124 had engines buried in the wingroots. From the links posted by **suranyi** it would seem like an extremely rare instance of successful ditching where (a)the airframe stays intact that was (b) deliberate, (c) involved an an underwing-engined jetliner, (d) had 100% survival rate. JA8032 in San Fran Bay was a controlled ditching but not a deliberate one (he thought he was LANDing, then boy, was he surprised). ALM 980 was a DC9, with tail engines, that ditched properly but in open sea a ways off shore so the plane sank and people were lost before rescue could be completed. In any case, this makes clear that the safety provisions and procedures for\* “in the event of a water landing” _are_\* for real\*\*, and not just for ease-their-minds assuagement. You CAN survive a ditching. Now, if the exact same circumstances had put the plane down instead in the middle of LI Sound south of Connecticut today, you may have had temperature-related fatalities, as many people would have ended up wet in the cold for a significant time before rescue could get to them; as opposed to ditching in the middle of the Hudson and having all sorts of working watercraft right there within minutes. But still, the ditching itself can be done. Just make sure you have ol’ Sully and his copilot on the sticks and throttles 😉 (You bet he’s going to be teaching a required course at the USAirways training center.) A bad-ass Academic, that’s cool… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/75 "2009-01-16T02:11:37Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I heard they had to rescue some people from the water. Did anyone suffer hypothermia? Yes. At least two people were being treated in the hospital for hypothermia, and others were being checked for it. > [@](#): > > Sullenberger’s wife told CNN that she was stunned to hear the news from her husband after it was all over. My husband said he could relate - he once got a call from the airport saying his wife and her airplane were down in a farmer’s backyard. Not quite on the same scale as what Mr. Sullenberg did, but I’m happy to say everyone walked away from _that_ little incident, too. Hubby didn’t stop twitching for days. I’d say everyone involved with today’s flight experienced considerable stress. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/76 "2009-01-16T02:12:30Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > You got to admire how well the “US Airways” logo stands out. You can’t buy this sort of advertising. _snort_ Anyway, sensational outcome. This has gotta be the greatest feat of piloting since the famous ‘Gimli Glider’ incident. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/77 "2009-01-16T02:15:23Z")
Not to spoil all the fun, but how long before PETA starts screaming about the dead geese, and how long before some clueless passenger sues US Air for emotional distress? A friend at mine at work said his daughter is taking a US Air flight tomorrow back to college, and she was freaking out. This was when the story just broke, before we knew everyone survived. I think I’m going to book my next flight with US Air, and I’ll tip the travel agent if Sully is flying the plane. ---
**Author:** ![tiger325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@tiger325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiger325)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/78 "2009-01-16T02:15:56Z")
That pilot is awesome to have kept everyone on that plane from serious harm ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/79 "2009-01-16T02:17:33Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > In any case, this makes clear that the safety provisions and procedures for\* “in the event of a water landing” _are_\* for real\*\*, and not just for ease-their-minds assuagement. You CAN survive a ditching. Aaaaannnnd… another historical thread regarding airliner safety announcements: > **[Is there any reason that airlines couldn't ditch the pre-flight safety...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466781)** > > Besides legislative requirements, of course. I recently flew down to Sydney to visit some museums and, as I sat there reading my Bill Bryson book and only half-listening to the same pre-flight safety demonstration I’ve heard on every flight I’ve... ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493/80 "2009-01-16T02:23:57Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Is this the first plane crash ever with NO fatalities? Probably not even the tenth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-bus-down-in-the-hudson-river/481493.md?page=5)