US Airways Airbus A320-214 plane crash
New York, USA
Updated on
The Airbus A320 operated by US Airways jet en route to Charlotte, N.C, USA, from New York City, USA, crashed into the Hudson River off the west side of Manhattan with 150 passengers and five crew members. All of the people on board had managed to escape alive.
Within three minutes of take-off the plane was in trouble. A loud bang came from close to the wings on both sides as it hit a flock of geese, and smoke and fire began to appear from the engines. The plane's pilot reported a bird strike and declared an emergency. As the Airbus A320 quickly banked south, the plane lost power and rapidly dropped altitude, heading towards the icy waters of the Hudson river. The crew attempted a ditching. It was a slow contact with the water, and the plane remained in one part, and rapidly stopped in the water. The A320 was then rapidly submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews pulled passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the scene.
A320 ditching on the Hudson - Record of radio communications
Although his powerless plane was gliding lower and lower with no way of reaching a runway, the captain can be heard talking to New York air traffic controllers in a very calm, collected exercise. In fact, he sounded so matter of fact about his plane's rapidly worsening situation that, when he confirmed that he is going to land on the Hudson, the controller waited a few seconds before asking to repeat. This last air traffic controller's request to «Say again Cactus» is never answered.
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Birds can fly into plane engines, damaging them or even shutting them down, or cause pilots to lose control of the plane by damaging the plane’s control surfaces or by penetrating the windshield.
