On 15 January 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 took off from New York’s LaGuardia airport. Three minutes after take-off, flight 1549 struck a flock of Canada geese just northeast of the George Washington Bridge. The aircraft consequently lost all engine power.
Unable to reach any airport, pilots Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles glided the plane to a ditching in the Hudson River off midtown Manhattan. All 155 people aboard were rescued by nearby boats and there were few serious injuries. It is still described as the “Miracle on the Hudson” and according to aviation specialists it was “the most succesful ditching ever“.
Forum topic: US Airways A320 ditches in Hudson River – pax and crew OK !