Investigation Underway On US Airways Flt. 1549 Hudson River Crash

There were many heroes yesterday in the crash of US Airways Flight 1549, but none more so than the pilot, Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, who managed to glide the stricken plane for a safe water landing on the icy Hudson River.

Investigators are focusing on the reports that the plane flew into a flock of birds, perhaps gulls or geese, causing both engines to fail. Radio reports indicate that the pilot called in an emergency and sought a location to land the stricken plane. Controllers suggested Teterboro Airport, but Capt. Sullenberger instead opted to make a water landing. With all the planes flying through the New York City skies, this was the only plane to run into problems yesterday. Sullenberger is apparently one cool customer, having been a US Air Force pilot, and has a pretty impressive resume.

To give some idea of what can happen with a bird strike, here are two videos. The first shows a Thompsonfly jet that ingested two herons in one engine and was able to make an emergency landing on the one remaining engine.



The second video shows a test of a Rolls Royce engine where scientists and engineers fire frozen chickens into the engine to see if it can continue functioning. The geese that were ingested by the engines on the US Airways flight were significantly larger. Engines are not designed to withstand ingesting birds larger than chickens.



Bird strikes are a fairly common occurrence, and they are a scourge at New York City airports, particularly JFK, which is situated adjacent to the Gateway National Wildlife Refuge and home to tens of thousands of migratory birds. It's unclear precisely when the birds hit the plane, and an investigation of the voice recorder and data recorders will show when the events transpired.

Survivors tell of the harrowing experience, but all can say that they survived the ordeal, thanks to the skill of the pilot and the quick thinking of ferry crews and emergency personnel who raced to save all those on board.

UPDATE:
Here's a profile of a 20-year-old ferry captain from NY Waterways who was among the first on the scene and whose boat helped fish 24 passengers off the stricken airplane from the icy Hudson River.

UPDATE:
Investigators have found that the left engine for the plane fell off at some point, and are now going back to the scene and beginning a search for the part. It's also unclear whether the other engine is still attached. Here's a photo of the plane just moments before the crash (via the NYT).