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A320 emergency landing on Hudson investigation. The pilot performed a real miracle

Modern civil aviation is one of the most safe species transport. Multiple duplication of various systems makes it possible to reduce the risk of disaster to a minimum.

And yet it is completely impossible to avoid emergency situations. One of the most dangerous of them is considered a forced landing on water.

Aviation experts are convinced that if there is even one chance to avoid this, it should be taken. Because even landing a plane “on its belly” at the airport leaves a much greater chance of survival for passengers and crew members than splashdown.

World aviation knows only a little more than a dozen controlled forced landings of passenger airliners on water. Most of them did not do without casualties on board.

On August 21, 1963, the crew of the Soviet Tu-124 airliner, flying from Tallinn to Moscow, made an emergency landing in Leningrad, directly on the surface of the Neva. Commander of the liner Victor Mostovoy managed to do the incredible - avoiding a collision with numerous bridges, he splashed down the plane so that all passengers and crew members survived.

Almost 46 years later, an American pilot found himself in Mostovoy’s place Chesley Sullenberger.

"Top class pilot"

In the year that Viktor Mostovoy performed the “miracle on the Neva,” the 12-year-old son of a Texas dentist, Chesley Sullenberger, became a member of the high-IQ Mensa society.

My passion for aviation came later, at the age of 16. Chesley entered a private flying club, where he realized that being a pilot was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

In 1969, the US Air Force Academy recruited 18-year-old cadet Sullenberger, who collected all possible awards and encouragement, graduating with the qualification of a “top flyer”.

After seven years of military service, he switched to civil aviation. A specialist with military experience and a high IQ was brought in to investigate plane crashes.

Much later, the pilot founded the company Safety Reliability Methods, which provides advice on safety precautions in air transport.

But the main thing for Chesley Sullenberger was flying. For three decades, he piloted civilian aircraft for US Airways, delivering passengers safely to their destinations.

Chesley Sullenberger. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Particularly dangerous geese

He was to operate flight AWE 1549 on the route New York - Charlotte - Seattle. Departure from New York was scheduled for 15:20 local time.

The flight was carried out on an Airbus A320. The plane did not cause any concern - it was produced in 1999, regularly underwent scheduled maintenance and did not cause any complaints.

Sullenberger's co-pilot that day was a 49-year-old Geoffrey Skiles. He had 23 years of experience at US Airways, but the pilot was about to fly the A320 for the second time in his life.

A total of 150 passengers boarded the plane. In addition to two pilots, the crew included three flight attendants.

At 15:24 the plane took off from New York airport. And almost immediately an emergency happened.

As a rule, all airports have bird repellent systems. This is necessary to prevent birds from colliding with airplanes, which poses a serious danger to flights.

But on this day, not just one stray bird, but a whole flock of geese got in the way of the Airbus A320. The meeting took place just 90 seconds after takeoff. The plane could not evade them, and a moment later there were dull blows, which were also heard by the passengers in the cabin.

For modern airliners, the failure of one engine is not fatal - the plane can fly to its destination on just one.

But on this day the geese hit both engines, which failed. Passengers heard a loud bang and smelled smoke; some could see fire through the windows of the windows.

Hudson River. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

"We're landing on the water"

Sullenberger reported to the ground: there was an emergency on board, both engines were disabled, an emergency landing was required.

The situation was almost hopeless: the engine thrust was rapidly decreasing, there was no headroom, since the A320 only managed to rise to 975 meters, and the metropolis stretched below.

Ground controllers noted that the aircraft commander remained absolutely calm. He initially announced he would return to the New York airport, then said he would land at nearby Teterboro Airport. After this the connection was interrupted.

The pilots realized that they would not get to the airport - they only had a few seconds left in the air. Turning the plane south, they flew the A320 over the Hudson River. The George Washington Bridge rose in front of them, but just as Tu-124 pilots once managed to avoid a collision with Leningrad bridges, so the Americans managed to avoid one of the New York landmarks.

There was no choice - Chesley Sullenberger decided to land the plane on the water. Confused and not really understanding what was happening, the passengers heard the commander’s voice over the loudspeaker: “Get ready for impact! We land on the water."

Airplane wreckage. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

The commander is the last to leave

Those who were on the nearby streets experienced no less shock - the descending plane brought to mind the terrorist attacks of September 11.

The Airbus A320 touched the surface of the water, raising a cloud of spray that hid it for several seconds. From the outside it seemed that the plane had collapsed or sank to the bottom, but then everyone saw that the airliner remained on the surface.

The crew managed to prevent a disaster, but this was not yet salvation - the plane could not stay on the water for long. There were life jackets on board, but it was impossible to jump into the water - it was January, and swimming in the Hudson threatened people with a repeat of the fate of the Titanic passengers, many of whom did not drown, but died from hypothermia in the icy water.

The A320 gradually sank, and its passengers climbed onto the planes of the wings and the roof. At this time, police officers, coast guards, rescuers and simply caring people who had watercraft rushed to the plane to provide assistance to those in distress.

The evacuation was carried out quickly. Chesley Sullenberger, as befits the captain of the ship, was the last to leave, walking around the salon and making sure that no one was left on board.

As a result of the emergency, 83 people were injured, most of whom received mild frostbite, and only five were seriously injured during landing.

This outcome of this situation rightfully allowed us to call it the “miracle on the Hudson.”

Chesley Sullenberger walks around the cabin of that same plane. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Hanks as a hero, hero as Hanks

The plane was towed to a pier near the World Financial Center, where it was removed from the water.

The A320 never took to the skies again. It was acquired by the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte (the airliner was supposed to fly to this city during its fateful flight). Now the plane is one of the most popular exhibits.

And Chesley Sullenberger turned into a real “hero of the nation”, a participant in numerous talk shows. True, there were those who believed that the plane could have been landed in another way, and the pilot exposed people to unjustified risk.

However, the investigation came to the conclusion that the pilot’s actions were the only correct ones.

Seven years later, the film “Miracle on the Hudson” was released on world screens, in which he played the main role Tom Hanks.

65-year-old Chesley Sullenberger responded to this quite unexpectedly - on a television show Jimmy Kimmel the pilot played...Tom Hanks. Or rather, he made parodies of all the famous roles of the actor from Forrest Gump to astronaut James Lovell from Apollo 13.

Tom Hanks, who also participated in the show, watched the skits and remarked: “Chesley Sullenberger, I respected you so much. Now we both have dark spots in our careers."

Time

15:31 EST (20:31 UTC)

Character

Emergency water landing

Cause

Engine surge due to collision with a flock of Canada geese

Place

Hudson River, New York, USA

Coordinates

40°46′10″ n. w. 74°00′17″ W d. / 40.769498° n. w. 74.004636° W d. / 40.769498; -74.004636 (G) (O)Coordinates: 40°46′10″ N. w. 74°00′17″ W d. / 40.769498° n. w. 74.004636° W d. / 40.769498; -74.004636 (G) (O)

Dead Wounded Aircraft

US Airways Airbus A320-214, identical to the one that splashed down on the Hudson

Model Airline Departure point

LaGuardia, New York, USA

Stops along the way

Charlotte Douglas, North Carolina, USA

Destination

Seattle/Tacoma, Seattle, USA

Flight Board number Date of issue Passengers Crew Survivors Images on Wikimedia Commons

An aviation incident that occurred on January 15, 2009. US Airways Airbus A320-214 operating flight AWE 1549 (call sign Cactus 1549) en route New York-North Carolina-Seattle, carrying 150 passengers and 5 crew members. 90 seconds after takeoff, the plane collided with a flock of Canada geese and both engines failed. The crew landed the plane safely on the waters of the Hudson River in New York. All 155 people on board survived, 5 people received serious injuries (one flight attendant suffered the most) and 78 minor injuries.

In total, 11 cases of controlled forced landings of passenger airliners on water are known. This case is the fourth without casualties.

  • 1 Airplane
  • 2 Crew
  • 3 Chronology of events
  • 4 Aircraft damage
  • 5 Investigation
  • 6 Consequences
  • 7 Further fate airplane
  • 8 Cultural aspects
  • 9 See also
  • 10 Notes
  • 11 Links

Airplane

Aircraft N106US during operation in the US Airways Shuttle

Airbus A320-214 ( registration number N106US, serial 1044) released in 1999. The first flight took place on June 15, 1999 under the test license plate F-WWII. On August 2 of the same year, it was transferred to US Airways and received tail number N106US. In the early 2000s, he flew for US Airways subsidiary US Airways Shuttle. Equipped with two CFM International 56-5B4/P engines. On the day of the incident, he completed 16,299 takeoff-landing cycles and flew 25,241 hours.

Crew

  • The pilot of the aircraft is 57-year-old Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. A highly experienced pilot, he is a former military pilot who flew the F-4 Phantom II from March 1973 to July 1980. After retirement, he continued to fly as a pilot for Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and US Airways. He is an expert in the field of flight safety and has a certificate for piloting gliders. Flight time was 19,663, 4,765 of which were on Airbus A320.
  • The co-pilot is 49-year-old Jeff Skiles. A very experienced pilot, he worked for US Airways for 23 years. Flight time was 15,643 hours. This was only his second flight on the Airbus A320. During the planning of the aircraft, he brought all its systems and mechanisms into a mode that ensured the airtightness of the aircraft's airframe when landing on water and subsequent long stay afloat.

Three flight attendants worked in the aircraft cabin:

  • Sheila Dail. 57 years old, with US Airways since 1980.
  • Doreen Welsh. 58 years old, with US Airways since 1970.
  • Donna Dent. 51 years old, with US Airways since 1982.

Chronology of events

Flight pattern of Flight 1549: after takeoff and collision with a flock of geese, turn south and land on the Hudson River

Flight AWE 1549 departed New York at 15:24 EST (20:24 UTC). 90 seconds after takeoff, the voice recorder recorded the crew commander's remark regarding bird strikes. A second later, the sounds of impacts and the rapid fading of the sound of both engines were recorded.

The plane managed to gain an altitude of 3,200 feet (975 meters). The PIC issued a distress signal and informed the dispatcher that the aircraft had collided with a flock of birds, as a result of which both engines were disabled. The loss of thrust of both engines was confirmed by a preliminary analysis of the flight recorders.

The pilots managed to turn the plane, which was taking off north, to the south, glide over the Hudson without hitting the George Washington Bridge, and splash down the plane opposite 48th Street in Manhattan without destroying the heavy, fueled plane. He finally stopped in front of 42nd Street. In total, the plane stayed in the air for about three minutes.

After splashdown, the plane remained on the surface of the water, and passengers exited through both emergency exits onto the wing plane. All passengers on board were rescued by ferries and boats, which approached the splashed-down plane a few minutes later (one of the ferry crossings between Manhattan and New Jersey is located near the splashdown site).

78 people received medical treatment for minor injuries and hypothermia (the water temperature was quite low; various media reported figures ranging from “near zero” to sometimes negative water temperatures).

Aircraft damage

Canada goose feather found in the right engine of Flight 1549

As a result of landing, rescue and towing operations, the aircraft's airframe received significant damage. organic remains and a bird feather were found on the right engine; the left engine separated during splashdown and sank, but on January 23 it was lifted from the bottom of the river and sent for examination.

Investigation

Consequences

The further fate of the aircraft

Aircraft N106US at the Carolinas Air Museum

After the passengers were evacuated, the plane was towed to a pier near the World Financial Center (approximately 6 km from the splashdown site), where it was raised.

After the investigation was completed, the aircraft was purchased by the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. At first the plane was without engines. The aircraft will be fully presented by the fall of 2012

Cultural aspects

The landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson is depicted in the Canadian documentary television series Air Crash Investigations in the episode "Landing on the Hudson".

see also

  • Il-12 splashdown in Kazan
  • Tu-124 landing on the Neva

Notes

  1. Ken Belson. Updates From Plane Rescue in Hudson River. The New York Times Company (January 15, 2009). Retrieved January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012.
  2. A passenger plane splashed down in the Hudson River. BBC Russian Service / BBC (15 January 2009). Retrieved January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012.
  3. 1 2 (Russian) “Miracle on the Hudson”: a passenger plane fell into the river. All 155 people on board were rescued. NEWSru.com (January 16, 2009). Retrieved January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012.
  4. (English) Russell Goldman. US Airways Hero Pilot Searched Plane Twice Before Leaving. ABCNews Internet Ventures/The Walt Disney Company (January 15). Retrieved January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012.
  5. Pia Sarkar, Tom Liddy, Jeremy Olshan. Wife: Sully "s a "pilot"s pilot" (January 16, 2009). Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2009. (English)
  6. NTSB: US Airways jet's engines lost power together (inaccessible link - history). The Associated Press (January 18, 2009). Archived from the original on January 19, 2009.
  7. “Jewelry landing on the Hudson” on SMI.ru
  8. “Miracle over the Hudson” in Rossiyskaya Gazeta
  9. National Transportation Safety Board (January 21, 2009). NTSB Issues update on investigation into ditching of US Airways jetliner into Hudson River. Press release. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  10. The left engine of the Airbus A-320 was lifted from the bottom of the Hudson, Lenta.Ru (January 23, 2009). Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  11. Aviation Museum lands flight 1549 engines | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

Links

  • (English) TV show “Hudson Plane Crash. What Really Happened."
  • (English) Video 3D reconstruction of events
  • Miracle on the Hudson
  • "Cactus Flight 1549 Accident Reconstruction (US Airways Animation)". Exosphere3D.

A320 emergency landing on the Hudson

A320 Emergency Landing on Hudson Information About

On September 8, the film “Miracle on the Hudson” (Sully) was released - about how a heroic pilot landed a distressed airliner on the river.

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) sits in a hotel and watches the news. He also runs. He still remembers. The fact is that a few days ago he was the captain of flight 1549 from New York to Charlotte, and shortly after takeoff both engines failed. Sully made an unexpected decision - he decided not to try to reach the nearest runway, but sat down on the water. On the Hudson, in January, when no one in their life had successfully splashed down a liner full of passengers - but Sally succeeded.

And now he's having nightmares, waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate, and not even going home. Everyone around him, from the mayor to ordinary townspeople, considers him a hero - and Sally is sort of in limbo, waiting for the results of the investigation.

Cinemafia found 11 facts about the filming of the film and is happy to share them with you.

1.

The film is based on the memoirs of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the commander of the ill-fated flight. His book, Highest Duty, was published in October 2009. In 2010, the film rights were purchased by Frank Marshall and Ellyn Stewart; Around the same time, amateur pilot Harrison Ford introduced Marshall to Captain Sullenberger. However, only in 2015 did they get around to film adaptation - and it was immediately announced that Clint Eastwood would become the director. Sullenberger called the people working on the film a "dream team."

Chesley Sullenberger and Tom Hanks at the film premiere

2.

Sully said the story reflected his vision of the situation and that he was very pleased with the result. The pilot actually suffered from post-traumatic syndrome, manifested in insomnia, constant memories of what happened and high blood pressure.

3.

In order for Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart to better fit into the role, they worked on a flight simulator, programmed to also show an emergency landing on the Hudson.

4.

The film constantly talks from 208 seconds. The plane took off from New York at 15:23:54, and at 15:27:32 it collided with a school of geese. Landing occurred exactly at 15:31. Thus, exactly 208 seconds passed between the collision and landing on the water. The crew spent 28 seconds making a decision, and the remaining three minutes for the emergency landing itself.

5.

Many of the same people who participated in the real passenger rescue in January 2009 were hired to re-enact the passenger rescue. For example, the captain of the ferry who comes to the aid of the passengers was played by Vincent Lombardi, the real captain of the ferry who participated in the rescue operation in January 2009.

Filming of the pilots staying at the hotel after the accident took place at the same Marriott hotel where the real pilots lived after the accident.

Moreover, filming inside the airliner was carried out in a real A320 - albeit in California.

6.

The same A320 that Sully landed on the Hudson is now in the aviation museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was to Charlotte that the liner was heading that ill-fated day.

7.

Sully took his last flight as an airline pilot from New Orleans to Charlotte in 2010. Jeff Skiles was his co-pilot.

8.

Despite the fact that Eastwood handled the story of Sally himself with care, there were also complaints about the authenticity of the events. The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) stated that they were not sent the script or asked for advice during filming, and therefore were unable to ensure that their representatives' lines were not taken out of context and reflected their opinions.

Malcolm Brenner, who was part of the team investigating the emergency landing of the A320, insists that the board did not want to portray Sullenberger as a villain or blame him for the crash, unlike in the film.

Robert Benzon, also no longer working at the NTSB, was much more categorical: “We are not the KGB or the Gestapo, we did not want to accuse anyone just like that.”

What's more, the script appears to be based on Sally's book of memoirs - which, of course, barely mentions the more than year-long NTSB investigation.

9.

From the very beginning, Clint Eastwood had doubts about how to make the film - after all, in this story everything is good and there is not enough drama. He admitted that it was only from reading the script that he learned what role the NTSB investigation played. At the same time, Sally himself insisted that the real names of NTSB employees be removed from the script - because “these guys weren’t following me on purpose, they were doing their job.”

10.

Tom Hanks admitted that it was very difficult to dye his hair white - and in the end they had to stop dyeing his hair because his scalp couldn't handle any more dye.

Source: http://www.aviasafety.ru/inspection/investigations/815-a320-hudson-results

Based on its investigation into this serious incident, the National Transportation Safety Board has issued more than twenty-five new safety recommendations. The investigation revealed the presence of serious problems, which, however, did not prevent the crew from saving the lives of all 150 passengers and 5 crew members of the flight that took off on January 15, 2009 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte. Two and a half minutes after takeoff, the plane collided with a flock of Canada geese, with several birds hitting the engines. This caused an almost complete loss of engine thrust, as a result of which the crew decided to splash down in the Hudson River.

The investigative report notes that it was only by sheer luck that the plan for this intracontinental flight included an aircraft equipped with water-recovery equipment. However, it was noted that in some cases the locations of life jackets, ropes and inflatable chutes were either inconvenient to use, out of reach, or did not function properly.

The report said some safety and emergency procedures were either ignored or could not be implemented during the chaotic three minutes after the collision. The crew lost valuable time trying to restart the engines because they did not know that it was impossible to return them to working condition. After making the decision to splashdown in the Hudson, the crew did not prepare passengers for a water landing and were unable to complete the engine failure checklist reading.

Only four passengers managed to put on life jackets and tie them before landing on the water. Only 29 passengers were able to put on life jackets without tying them, and ten of them reported that they had great difficulty removing the life jacket from under their seat. Everyone noted that it was very difficult to tie a vest on themselves, so they did not have time to do it.

During landing, a crack formed in the tail of the plane, into which water began to flow. Because of this, it was not possible to use the two tail chutes, which simultaneously serve as life rafts. Many passengers not caught in the two front chutes involved, which contained 64 people, stood on the wings in knee-deep cold water.

The plane was also equipped with four lifelines that passengers could hold onto to avoid falling into the water, but the lifelines are located at the nose and tail of the plane, which flight attendants could not reach. If one got into water with a temperature of 4 degrees, there would be a high risk that this would lead to numerous casualties, since many people’s bodies cannot withstand more than 5 minutes in such conditions.

A favorable factor was also the fact that in the river area there were numerous boats and watercraft participating in river work. Thanks to their immediate help, everyone was able to be removed from the water.

Documents released by the Council say the crew could technically return to Runway 13 at La Guardia. However, given the time it took to assess the situation, Captain Sullenberger made the most appropriate decision to perform a water landing. The report highlights the speed with which the crew assessed available information and made decisions, as well as the coordinated work of its members.

The Council, first of all, recommends that all aircraft, even those that fly primarily over the earth's surface, be required to be equipped with life jackets and floating seat cushions for each passenger. A similar recommendation to the Federal Administration civil aviation was withdrawn in 2003 for cost-saving reasons.

The Transportation Safety Board also called for a study of the situation in which passengers adopt a crouched position during emergency landings - leaning forward and covering their heads with their hands. With the new shape of the chairs, this position becomes unsafe. During the water landing, two passengers who assumed this position in accordance with the recommendations given in the reminder sheet about what to do in such situations suffered shoulder fractures.

To prevent pilots from attempting to start engines that are inoperable, the Council recommended that the FAA work with NASA and the military to develop technology that can inform pilots about engine status. The Council also recommended new parameters for a water landing when both engines fail at low altitude.

Recommendations have been made to make engines more resistant to direct bird strikes. It is recommended that the Civil Aviation Authority conduct research into whether there is a relationship between the increase in the population of large birds, such as Canada geese and white pelicans, and the number of aircraft collisions with them. Last November, a Frontier Airlines A319 collided with a flock of snow geese, causing one engine to shut down and causing severe damage to another. The plane returned to the departure airfield, where it made an emergency landing.

If large bird strikes continue, the Council will recommend revisions to certification standards to ensure that engines remain operational after larger bird strikes. In the case of the A320 aircraft, the collision occurred with birds weighing about 4 kilograms, while the engines are designed to hit birds up to 2 kilograms. Newer generation engines can withstand collisions with four-kilogram birds, but in nature there are species weighing more than 6 kilograms.