AirSafe.com

Ditching of US Airways Flight 1549
in the Hudson River in New York

15 January 2009; US Airways A320-200, New York, NY: The aircraft was on a scheduled passenger flight from New York (LaGuardia) to Charlotte, NC The aircraft struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff and experienced a loss of power to both engines. The crew was able to successfully ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. The aircraft reached an maximum altitude of about 3200 feet before it began to descend. After ditching, all five crew members and 150 passengers evacuated the aircraft. There were no fatalities in this event.

Accident Investigation
The NTSB investigation into this crash is ongoing, and there is a a large amount of information availble to the public:
Public docket information
NTSB accident animation
Public hearing from 9-11 June 2009 with links to witness presentations and other information

Background Information
The following pages have background information about the airline, the aircraft model, and other issues related to this crash:
Previous US Airways Crashes
Other Significant A320 Events
Bird Strike Hazards to Aircraft
Jet Airliner Ditching Events
Bird Strike Videos
BirdStrikeNews.com
Comparing US Airways Event with Seven Other Bird Strike Accidents
Bird Strike Study from the AirSafe.com Foundation

Audio and Video Podcasts
Interview with Dr. Curtis on the Escapes Radio Talk Show on 9 February 2009

Interview with Bird Strike Expert Dr. Ron Merritt

Dr. Curtis Interview on WGN Radio 16 January 2009

Listen to AirSafe.com's Initial Report on this Accident

Crash of US Airways Flight 1549

Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.