US Airways Flight 1549 enroute to Charlotte, N.C. successfully ditched in the water after apparently hitting a flock of birds resulting in the disabling of both engines on the Airbus A320. Veteran pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, is credited with the flawless water landing of the disabled aircraft with 150 passengers onboard. Sullenberger, a 28 year commercial airline veteran and former U.S. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot was able to glide the stricken aircraft without power over the George Washington Bridge and into the Hudson River near a ferry terminal off Manhattan’s West 48th Street. The close proximity of the plane's final resting place made the aircraft readily accessable to water craft that normally ply the river shuttling passengers from New York to New Jersey. Sullenberger is a hero and we are likely to hear more about 57 year old hero for weeks to come. Not a single fatality was reported in what is normally considered a very hazardous landing. I'm sure airlines from around the globe are going to be knocking on Sullenberger's door to find out how he pulled off this amazing feat. Photo from (Bebeto Matthews/AP) Miracle On The Hudson
US Airways Flight 1549 enroute to Charlotte, N.C. successfully ditched in the water after apparently hitting a flock of birds resulting in the disabling of both engines on the Airbus A320. Veteran pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, is credited with the flawless water landing of the disabled aircraft with 150 passengers onboard. Sullenberger, a 28 year commercial airline veteran and former U.S. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot was able to glide the stricken aircraft without power over the George Washington Bridge and into the Hudson River near a ferry terminal off Manhattan’s West 48th Street. The close proximity of the plane's final resting place made the aircraft readily accessable to water craft that normally ply the river shuttling passengers from New York to New Jersey. Sullenberger is a hero and we are likely to hear more about 57 year old hero for weeks to come. Not a single fatality was reported in what is normally considered a very hazardous landing. I'm sure airlines from around the globe are going to be knocking on Sullenberger's door to find out how he pulled off this amazing feat. Photo from (Bebeto Matthews/AP)