US Airways Plane Crashes In Hudson River (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Updated with photos, video and links.... Read all about the hero pilot Chelsey Sullenberger who saved the lives of 154 people Thursday.
UPDATE 1/16/09, 11:50 AM
New video with updates relating to the crash:
From MSNBC, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg honored the city's various rescue workers at a press conference today, praising their quick action following the crash.
Also from MSNBC, Lorrie Sullenberger, wife of the pilot who successfully landed the plane in the Hudson river, talks to reporters in front of her home with her two daughters.
UPDATE 1/16/09, 9:30 AM
The New York Times led with the crash story on the front page today, a story that featured more information about the status of the crash's survivors.
Brought ashore on both sides of the river, the survivors were taken to hospitals in Manhattan and New Jersey, mostly for treatment of exposure to the brutal cold: 18 degrees in the air, about 35 degrees in the water that many had stood in on the wings up to their waists....
Dozens of survivors were taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center and St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. Jim Mandler, a spokesman at Roosevelt, said 10 patients, ranging from their early 30s to a woman about 85, had been treated, mainly for hypothermia. A flight attendant had suffered a lacerated leg.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that pilot had done "a masterful job" and New York Governor David Paterson called the lack of serious injuries "a miracle."
The Washington Post's story features a first-person perspective of the crash from one of the survivors.
"We were gaining altitude, everything seemed normal, and there was a very, very loud bang on the left-hand side," he said in a telephone interview, hours later, from the unexpected venue of Manhattan's Pier 79. Beck watched aghast from his window seat as the spinning jet turbine began to kick and slow down, "almost like something was stuck in a washing machine."
"You'd hear thump-thump-thump-thump, and then the pilot came on, and all he said was, 'This is the captain speaking. Brace for impact,' " Beck recalled. The flight attendants, still strapped in for the initial ascent, "kept saying, 'Keep your head down -- brace for impact.' They said it over and over, chanting it."
Like many news outlets, the New York Post focused on the pilot, hailing him as a hero.
"He is the consummate pilot," said Lorrie Sullenberger of her hubby, who is an US Air Force Academy grad who flew F-4 fight planes while in the Air Force. "He is about performing that airplane to the exact precision to which it is made."...
"My body won't stop shaking," said Lorrie, who has two daughters with Sullenberger.
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A US Airways flight crashed into the Hudson just after 3 pm. The FAA reports everyone, including one baby, is off safely. There are no life threatening injuries. There is a flight attendant with an arm fracture, a leg break, and some non-threatening cases of hypothermia.
Just after 3:30 pm Thursday live coverage began of the plane downed in the river, with people standing on the wings. Flight 1549, an A320, took off from Laguardia on it's way to Charlotte at 3:26 pm. Read witness accounts here. The pilot reportedly flew over the George Washington Bridge at just 900 feet. It was in the air for about 7 minutes before hitting the river near the 50s, just off midtown.
The eyewitnesses report the plane went down very smoothly, as though landing on a runway, which was confirmed by passengers onboard. A passenger speaking to the local NBC affiliate reported seeing an engine catch fire. Another survivor said he smelled gasoline and the pilot said to brace for a hard impact. At that point, fellow passengers started saying prayers.
After landing, passengers stood on the wings wearing their yellow life jackets and getting onto small boats and ferries. The pilot said he walked the plane twice after everyone was out to make sure all passengers had exited. Multiple ferries - as many as 14 - sped over to help, including Circle Line and Coast Guard. No passengers seemed to be swimming or in the river, rather everyone stood patiently waiting to picked up from the wings. Shortly after the crash, the fuselage sunk below the water line after floating and then began moving downriver, largely submerged. It was docked by Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan by Battery Park. The plane is intact.
US Airways CEO Doug Parker held a short press conference just after 5 pm EST from the airline's Phoenix headquarters. He stressed the airline's focus on safety and kept it brief, as he had to fly to New York.
Individuals who believe they may have family members on board flight 1549 may call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States.
150 passengers and 5 crew members were onboard, MSNBC reports. The pilot reported a possible bird attack shortly after takeoff. There were reports the pilot flew into a flock of geese. Two engines were disabled. More on bird strikes here. Homeland Security and the FBI says there are no signs of terrorism. The NTSB will investigate the official cause of the accident.
Federal investigators are looking into "early indications" that the plane was struck by geese shortly after taking off, reports The New York Times.
The weather is very cold (21 degrees when the plane took off) but clear and the river water is just above freezing.
NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg called the pilot "masterful," adding that he had spoken to him and the last passenger to get off the plane. Here's an account of the mayor's press conference.
Read more about hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger.
WATCH (SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE VIDEO AND PASSENGER AND SURVIVOR VIDEO, MORE VIDEO HERE):
VIDEO FROM A HUFFPOST EMPLOYEE AT THE SCENE:
PASSENGERS:
A PASSENGER TELLING WOLF BLITZER ABOUT IT:
MORE SURVIVORS LEAVING:
More on the US Airways Crash Survivors with MORE VIDEO INTERVIEWS
MSNBC live coverage (more pics below):
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
US Airways website had the plane's status, as of 4:05, as "departed":
Before, left, after, right, the fuselage has sunk:
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Huffington Post | Editors | January 15, 2009 06:11 PM