Someone has created a facebook "fan club" group for the pilot....
(Matt I know you've seen it already)...
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56710389492
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Someone has created a facebook "fan club" group for the pilot....
(Matt I know you've seen it already)...
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56710389492
Looks like the USAirways go team, including the Doug Parker arrived LGA around 11:11 pm onboard a B757 from PHX
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AWE9031
You knew someone had to do it, and you could have figured it was going to be Fred and me...we met down near the site around 11pm. The streets nearest to where the aircraft is "docked" were closed to vehicle traffic (except emergency vehicles) but open to pedestrians. The waterfront park where the aircraft is located is closed off, and for the most part they kept us across the street from the park as well. Only the left wing and a bit of the vertical stabilizer are visible from the street. As you can see from the photos, the leading edge flap is missing.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/4..._nhL8m-L-1.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/4...71_v5HbU-L.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/4...81_SsGqu-L.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/4...29_VTJeb-L.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/4...19_8NJk8-L.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/4..._dP7Zb-L-1.jpg
It was cold! There were a fair amount of people out to take a look and take photos. At one point, Fred and I (along with at least one freelance photographer) were down at the south end of the street, right next to where the TV reporters were set up for their stand up reports. A police officer told us "No Pictures!" When I asked why, and reminded him we were on a public street, he said, "That's what they told me - no pictures." I asked him why it was OK for the TV crews to be shooting, but not us, he said "That's what they told me." Since I didn't think I could get anyone to come out at Midnight in 10 degree weather to bail me out of jail, we walked back up the street, where no one bothered us about photos.
The airplane is up near the shore just south of Chambers Street. They had a crane moved in close, but no barge when I left. One fireman I spoke with before I left said they had been told the plane would be moved in the morning.
Ron, great job by all your folks, and good work by all the emergency crews and others who responded. It could have been so much worse.
Awesome Moose and Fred!
I know there are a whole list of reasons it probably wouldn't happen, but I wonder if the Intrepid would have any interest in keeping the plane since she landed almost right behind her.
Did they dump any fuel before they ditched?
How much fuel did they have onboard before takeoff.
Glad this crash didnīt turn out the same way as the recent one in France with the A320 ditched and was completely destroyed.
The A320 does not have the ability to dump fuel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alessio
Probably not too much. LGA-CLT flight time is only about 90 mins.Quote:
How much fuel did they have onboard before takeoff?
The A320 does not have a fuel dump capability.
Heard about it on BBC New last night and watched the mayor of NYC speaking live at 11pm UK time.
That pilot and his crew deserve a medal for what they did, this was the best crash landing which could have ever happened (as every one survived and are a live).
My warmest congratulations to the crew and passengers of this flight.
Yes there is a guarded overhead switch labeled "ditching" As you look at the picture, it's in the lower right hand side of the panel , on the "Cabin Press" panel
I tracked the A320 aircraft on Passur. The news reports were wrong regarding the route. AWE 1549 never flew over New Jersey. The pilot started to fly the standard departure route off Rwy 4 and was climbing. After passing over Bronx Park, he started to descend ( sign something was wrong) and then made an incredible loop over Marble Hill. The way he avoided the GW Bridge is remarkable. He flew just east of the Bridge then headed for the Hudson while still descending. He is off the Passur radar at about 600' adjacent to W 125th St. in the middle of the Hudson. This all happened so fast. Kudos to all !
It was strange that when first seen by witnesses, the US Airways A320 was facing northwards. The tail was facing south. Since the aircraft approached from the north, shouldn't the nose be facing south? A news moderator said that the Hudson River current turned the aircraft around but it sounds strange that it could happen within moments of ditching. Any thoughts about this?
It's not a big deal for the plane to have turned in any direction while floating. Anything floating without power in the water can turn just with the current.
I heard that the Airbus will be hoisted later today but no mention of where it would be brought to. I am curious to see if both engines endured bird strikes. Nice idea about keeping the Airbus aboard the Intrepid but there's no room for it there and I don't think it would be be good advertising for US Airways. The aircraft is historic, no doubt, and should be put on display maybe at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. I want to see the heroic pilot, nicknamed Sully, be honored by a parade as well as be invited to sit on the podium at next Tuesdays' Inauguration. This guy saved over 100 lives and is a real hero.
I also like the idea of towing the Airbus over to JFK's Hangar 19 for examination. Isn't that where the Concorde was de-commissioned, too 5 years ago? Another possibility if JFK is not feasible is to tow it to the Bayonne dock, which is much closer. I think the aircraft is now off Battery park City near Stuyvestant HS.
No doubt, Capt Sullenberger did a superb job. Lucky too that the wind was north and LGA approaches were not flying northbound over the Hudson for the Rwy 22 Approach. Where could he put his aircraft down if aircraft were filling the airspace over the Hudson? Also on his side was the visibility. The morning snowfall would have obliterated his view of the Hudson and I dread to think of the outcome. By 1500, the visibility was nearly unlimited with just some scattered clouds.
One news report said the bird strike happened at around altitude 3200 feet rather than immediately after take-off. This would explain the normal departure including an increase in altitude until passing over the Bronx Zoo & Garden. Altitude over Bronx Park was 3200'(Passur) and immediately after, the aircraft banked towards the Hudson River and lost altitude quickly. It was at only 1700' while passing Inwood Hill, Manhattan.
Four posts in a row, five our of the first 6 on this page alone. I think that's a new record, Speedbird. Three of them with already-mentioned info. Your percentage is improving!
If LGA was operating 22 for arrivals, then it might have been difficult for the US jet to depart on rwy 4, and from a different runway, it wouldn't have been near the Hudson like it was anyway. I didn't look at the winds, but northern winds would have been somewhat helpful.
I was told that the pilot pitched the nose up very high at the last second, letting the tail drag the water, slowing the plane down so to not rip the engines off once they hit as well. Jet engines' shape scoop up the water when entering it, and when at decent speed, will rip off of the plane. Or worse, rip teh wing off. If this plane has no wings, it probably would not have floated like it did, and would have been disasterous. Anything less than what happened, and it woudl have gotten very messy very easily.
People say "Wow, good pilot", but when you see the skill actually applied, you learn how talented this guy really was.
Why no pictures of the aircraft from the street? You guys went-out in freezing conditions to take a few photos and were told no photos. If you were standing behind the barrier there should be no problem. How could taking photos do any harm? On the other hand, the press could get up-close. This is an example of basic freedoms we have lost since 9-11. Of course, we know who to thank for that! This reminds me of how we were harrassed while trying to take photos of the final Concorde landing at JFK.
Would have been nice, if all of the kudos would have gone out to the entire crew, or, at a minimum, to the cockpit crew.
Without the pilot in the right seat & the pilot in the left working together as a team, the airplane would have never landed in one piece the way it did.....
The Cabin Crew did a nice job handling the passengers! :borat:
Big sky theory man. In an emergency you do what you need to do to get the aircraft down. In VMC conditions you hope that if ATC doesn't/can't provide separation, that the other aircraft will see you and avoid you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedbird1
Also, unlikely scenario because if LGA bound aircraft were flying up the hudson, they would most likely be using 22 for landing, meaning no rwy 4 departures.
Is the ditching button unique to the A320? One of the news reports said that this aircraft has a "Ditching Button" which closes all valves below the flotation line. Is it really unique to only Airbus? Don't Boeing aircraft include this feature? I also heard that the A320 is unable to "dump" fuel. I took it for granted that all aircraft could "dump" fuel in emergencies.
Most engines are designed to shear off of the aircraft in cases such as these. Whether they did or not in this case, I'm not sure, but the fact that he didn't catch one wing on the water and flip and violently break up is remarkable. The guy is a certified glider instructor (not sure how current he is on this, since he probably was certified back at the Academy in the 1970s), but all of his skills combined along with his extensive experience and knowledge of the aircraft and flight environment and little bit of luck is really what saved his aircraft. Many kudos to this guy!
I can only speak for the 757 and 767, which do in fact have a ditch switch.
Air France A340 - Canada
Continental 737 - Denver
US Air A320 - NYC
3 MAJOR accidents
No fatalities or even "serious injuries"
Are we seeing a pattern here?
To add to this, I'm really happy for the guy and his aviation safety business. He just got the ultimate form of word of mouth that any business will ever have.Quote:
I was told that the pilot pitched the nose up very high at the last second, letting the tail drag the water, slowing the plane down so to not rip the engines off once they hit as well. .... Anything less than what happened, and it woudl have gotten very messy very easily.
People say "Wow, good pilot", but when you see the skill actually applied, you learn how talented this guy really was.
I read this on anet and felt that, in a way, it discredits the pilot.
Quote:
Those computers kept it flying....probably in Alpha Floor protection mode all the way, resulting in a very controlled, absolute minimum speed touchdown, just above Vs. Pull the sidestick all the way back and let the computers keep her in the air. No chance of a Stall.
Textbook ditching IMHO.
Would anyone care to comment on what was said?
OH, and to Fred and Moose, you guys are the bomb. As I lay me down to sleep at 11:10 PM, I know that somewhere, out there, if there is some av event going on, you guys OWN it! :borat:
I don't know much about the A320 systems, but even if he did arrange it so the aircraft stayed just above stall speed, that has nothing to do with the plot's ability to make the decision to river-ditch, control his descent in a glide, be smart enough to pitch the nose up (I DON'T think that is a part of training, but actually a part of his GLIDING experience), and keep the horizon level so to not spin the plane. If what you quoted is true, Mario, it does not discredit the Captain one bit to me.
I also am DYING to hear the CVR.
Last night, I was watching Bill O'Reilly and he interviewed one of the passengers from the flight.
The passenger gave a play by play as he saw it. He is also a private pilot.
What was remarkable was how calm everything is reported to have gone on the plane.
So this thought just crossed my mind...
Here were 150 people who kept calm....Such a dire situation and they kept calm. So under pressure, humans know how to act. But give 'em a sale at Walmart and they'll kill each other... :roll:
Oh and another thought. On Anet, some guy was playing down that the pilot wasn't a hero ( I disagree) as he was just doing his job.
We had a lot of heros yesterday but hats off to the ferry guys. As far as I know, the ferry captain didn't act on any order. HE just saw what was going on and went to it.
I'd be interested to find out if the computers still affect control and performance systems with dual engine failure.Quote:
Originally Posted by mirrodie
I would think that if both of your engines fail, you would lose non-critical electrical system components (i.e. autopilot, system input cautions/checks, stall warnings etc...), along with your primary hydraulic system.
My guess is that with both engines out, the computer systems "controlling" flight are disengaged, and flying reverts back to more of a "manual" mode (i.e. no computer warnings/inputs, no autopilot, no primary hydraulic power etc...). If this is the case, then the pilot was controlling everything manually.
Even if this isn't the case, I don't think any autopilot could be set to land an aircraft on the water without having it break apart or suffer from a violent impact.
I can't imagine what it's like, no so much the landing, but to stand onteh wing with freezing water logged in your shoes, waiting for a boat to come get you.
Those ferry Captains also did a heck of a job. They just turned their boats and bounced, passengers and all.
[img]http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/600*337/UGC-Plane-Landing.jpg[/img]
Good points.Quote:
Originally Posted by USAF Pilot 07
If he lost both engines, he most certainly did lose most systems, including auto-pilot, so what that guy suggested is impossible. they did lose primary hydraulic functions, and they had limited control of their control surfaces (rudder, ailerons, elevator, flaps). The APU could have been turned on, but that takes 2-3 minutes and I'm sure they didn't have time for that.
I just realized something, As you all know I went LGA spotting on Tuesday and I noticed at the last second that I caught the same plane (N106US) from soundview...
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...r/IMG_5942.jpg
Nice, Sergio. That's probably the last pic of her before the accident.
I got it 2 days before it went down..Quote:
Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
So did the engines windmill before it crashed?
Can you see from the cockpit if the engines windmill or are stuck when they not functioning normally, how many rpm would it be?
NTSB has NYPD divers looking for the left engine.Quote:
Originally Posted by USAF Pilot 07
Actually both of the aircraft's engines tore off on impact and are somewhere in the Hudson river. It looks like they will be the lifting the plane out of the water tommorow.Quote:
Originally Posted by emshighway
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/nyreg ... =permalink
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil D.
Who operates 757s and 767s with a "Ditch Switch?"
Nice last shot there Gotham. Surprised a vid has not yet surfaced.