Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger thought it was going to
be just another flight when he boarded US Airways Flight
1549, at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. It was headed to
North Carolina when shortly after takeoff, a large flock of
Canada Geese had invaded their airspace and the Airbus ended
up losing thrust to both engines. With over 15,000 flight hours
under his belt, and previously being a pilot in the USAir Force,
Captain Sullenberger did not panic. He and his crew went
through the proper procedures in what to do in such cases, and
then realized he would not be able to make it to the closest
airport. He attempted to make it to a runway, but could not gain
enough altitude due to no thrust in either engine. The only
alternative was to take the plane down in the Hudson River,
and that is exactly what the Captain did on January 15, 2009.
After only being in the air for six minutes, Flight 1549 landed
in the middle of the Hudson River. Captain Sully (as he was
nicknamed) knew to land it near boats so that there would be
more of a possibility of a quick rescue. It was quick thinking to
land in the middle of the Hudson, and as soon as the plane was
“ditched,” the crew immediately gave orders to evacuate;
including using the inflatable slides as rafts. Some of the
passengers were able to get in the life boats, while others were
instructed to get on the wing of the plane so as not to get
hypothermia by jumping (or falling) into the 20 degree river.
Even though the majority of passengers were able to get to
safety, there was one who had jumped into the freezing waters
because of the overcrowding of the life boats. Boats and ferries
that were nearby came to help aid the rescue, along with the
city’s emergency rescue teams. Due to the fast thinking of the
Captain, the crew on-board, and the fast response of the rescue
teams, every single person on that airplane survived, including
one passenger who was in a wheelchair.


View pix here www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/5-of-the-weirdest-plane-emergency-landing-locations/5/