Longtime airline pilot "Sully" Sullenberger became an instant celebrity of the most heroic kind in January 2009 when he made a successful emergency landing in New York's Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board.
His US Airways flight took off from LaGuardia Airport, destination, Charlotte, N.C.
About one minuet underway, the plane collided with a flock of geese, knocking out both engines, one of which caught fire. Having no power, Capt. Sullenberger knew he had to ditch in the river.
He brought the plane down smoothly, and doors were opened immediately. Passengers clamored out onto the wings, and a few fell into the 41-degree water. TV news crews in Manhattan, some of whom had watched the landing,rushed to cover the story. A ferry, the Thomas Jefferson, came alongside and threw lines and vests to those in the water.
In the end, all aboard were safely brought ashore. Capt. Sullenberger was the last out of the plane, having combed the cabin--twice--to be certain no on remained aboard.
Sullenberger appeared modest about his heroic accomplishment, although some said his safe water landing under such conditions was an aviation first.
The scholarly looking pilot, a member of Mensa who holds two master's degrees, had been flying airliners since 1980 and prior to that, flew fighter jets during his Air Force years.
No comments:
Post a Comment