THE hero pilot of a stricken jetliner saved 155 lives last night — as he dramatically BELLY-FLOPPED it into a freezing river.
The Airbus A320, which hit a flock of GEESE, ploughed into the icy water — where dazed passengers then scrambled on to the wings.
As they stood patiently waiting to be rescued, cool-headed captain Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III — nicknamed Sully — calmly walked TWICE through the flooded plane to check it was empty before becoming the last man out in New York.
Last night — after 78 of those on board were rushed to hospital to be treated for injuries — the city’s mayor saluted the veteran Texan flier’s “masterful job” in landing the jet on the Hudson River.
Spectacular
Michael Bloomberg said after personally congratulating the ex-US fighter ace, 57: “This pilot did a wonderful job and it would appear the crew, passengers and one infant on board got out safely.”
New York Governor David Patterson declared: “We have had a Miracle on 34th Street — now I think we had a Miracle on the Hudson.
“This was a heroic act from the pilot who saved himself and everyone else on board.
“This must now count as one of the most spectacular days in the history of New York in terms of our public agencies and all they did for the passengers who will tonight go home to their families.”
Ferries were among a flotilla of boats that raced to the jet after it slammed into the water at 150mph on one of the coldest days of the year.
The river is 50ft deep where the plane came down. Rescuers feared carnage — but were stunned to find all 150 passengers and five crew alive.
A shivering survivor told how everyone was ordered to assume crash positions as the plane suffered one of aviation’s most dreaded fates less than 45 seconds after take-off — a “double bird strike”.
With BOTH of his engines kaput the pilot shouted: “We’re coming down. Brace, brace!”
One passenger said after being taken to dry land: “The pilot said to us, ‘Prepare for impact’. Immediately people started yelling and crying. I said to myself, ‘OK this is it, let’s do it’.
“We heard a loud bang, like a car crash. Somehow the plane stayed afloat.”
Rafts
Many of those treated in hospital after being taken off the wings were suffering from exposure after braving temperatures of -7°C.
One passenger said a woman’s leg was “cut off”. Survivor Jeff Kolodjay, from Norwalk, Connecticut, said: “People were bleeding all over. We hit the water pretty hard. It was scary.” Another said: “A lot of people started praying and just collecting themselves.
“It was quite stunning. We knew there wasn’t a lot of time because we were quite close to the ground at that point and we could tell that the descent was somewhat rapid. At that point people were very quiet.
“The river was very, very smooth. The pilot extended the flaps. I don’t know if he put the gear down or not but it was just a great landing.
“I was expecting the plane would flip over or break a part. That obviously didn’t happen. It did jockey back and forth — that seemed to last an eternity.” The life rafts of the US Airways jet deployed as icy water flooded the plane in seconds.
By the time all on board were evacuated it was 4ft deep. Rescuers were seen pulling some through an emergency door. Those on board then simply walked on to the wings — calmly standing around waiting to be taken on to boats.
One passenger said: “It got pretty dark and smoky inside. At first it was a bit of a panic. There were a couple of people who took charge and started yelling, ‘Calm down’.
“It’s incredible that everyone seems to be still alive. Thank the Lord — and thank the pilot. I can’t believe somehow he managed to land that plane safely.” Up to eight ferries and local water taxis raced to the scene — swiftly joined by police boats.
Fred Burretta saw one of the engines blazing after the geese were sucked in.
He said: “I was in seat 15A right over the engine that was flaming.
“The engine blew out, the pilot turned around and made a line for the river. There was a lot of silence.
“The pilot said, ‘Prepare for impact’ — we went into water. It was a phenomenal landing.”
Another survivor said: “We just hit and somehow the plane stayed afloat.” Flight 1549 to Charlotte, North Carolina, crashed near Manhattan’s 48th Street within three minutes of taking off from LaGuardia Airport.
An air traffic controller said the pilot — who has 40 years’ experience and has pioneered safety courses for fellow fliers — at first tried to head for a nearby airport for an emergency landing.
He realised he was not going to make it — so had no choice but to ditch in the river.
Witnesses told how — with no engines — the captain made a textbook landing on the water. One astonished office worker said: “I saw the plane slowly gliding into the Hudson — like it had no power.
“At the very last minute it pulled up a little.
“There was a massive spray of water which covered the plane.
Fuel
“The belly hit the water first. It was just seconds before we saw the door blow off then people were on the wings.
“Ferry boats immediately left the piers, probably there in less than two minutes.”
Fellow witness Barbara Sambriski told how as soon as she saw the plane she realised it was in trouble. She said: “I just thought, ‘Why is it so low?’ — and splash, it hit the water.”
Journalist Alex Whittaker, who saw the drama from a 22nd floor meeting room in Times Square, said: “The doors opened and we could see life rafts.
“We could see people climbing out on to the water.”
An aviation official said: “The reports of bird strikes come from eyewitnesses on the ground.”
Early today the jet — which had appeared to be slowly sinking — was towed to a harbour wall. Experts said it stayed afloat so long because the domestic flight was a relatively short hop — meaning the Airbus’s tanks were only half-full of fuel.
One aviation expert said of the hero captain: “The odds were stacked against him and most pilots wouldn’t have liked their chances.”
British ex-pilot Eric Moody said: “You have to hit big birds to stop the engines.
“I would say that was a very successful ditching of that aircraft. Whoever has flown it has done a very good job. He’s a hero.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2138642.eceI don't want to immagine what would be the case if it happened here
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