Some of the crew and passengers of the “Miracle on the Hudson” gathered Monday to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the “most successful marine rescue in aviation history.”
About 50 passengers, ferry operators and hospital staff gathered at Pier 79 to honor the first responders who took action when US Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009.
All passengers and crew on board survived after a water rescue.
“It’s amazing how people come together even when they don’t know each other,” said event organizer Dave Sanderson, a passenger on the flight who has since become an author and motivational speaker.
Sanderson recalled hearing an explosion and looking out a window to see fire coming out from under the plane. A terrible ordeal had begun for him and the other 154 passengers and crew.
When pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger announced over the plane’s public address system that the flight was making an emergency landing, Sanderson assumed he was referring to an airport.
“It wasn’t until we crossed the George Washington Bridge that I knew this was a serious situation,” Sanderson said of the moment the flight flew just 900 feet above the crossing.
“All I could see was water,” Sanderson said at the event, near where the plane made a water landing.
About 50 passengers, ferry operators and hospital staff gathered at Pier 79 to honor the first responders who took action when US Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. Matthew McDermott
Sanderson said he remembers climbing up on seats to help his fellow passengers and being the last passenger off the plane.
“There was no place for me on the wing or on the ship,” he said.
Hearing the now-submerged plane begin to “groan,” Sanderson feared it might sink. Without much choice, he entered the 36-degree water, unsure if he would be rescued in time, until he saw a New York Waterway ferry heading toward him and decided to swim toward it.
“It was the longest 15-yard swim of my life.”
Giovanni Ahmad, city manager of Weehawken, New Jersey, was an EMT in 2009, tasked with coordinating transportation and resources for EMS and hospitals on the Garden State’s Hudson side.
Survivors Dave Sanderson and Denise Lockie join first responders on the 15th anniversary of the crash of US Airways Flight 1549. Matthew McDermott
He credited the New Jersey Port Security Initiative, a plan devised after 9/11 to strategize and coordinate emergency disaster responses between New York and New Jersey, for the “victorious” rescue operation.
Although the plan, which was finalized just four weeks before the accident, primarily covered incidents such as overturned boats and sinking ferries, its lessons were nothing short of a blessing from heaven on the day of the Miracle on the Hudson.
“We literally took that plan and said ‘there’s no difference.’ It wasn’t planned for an airplane but you treat it the same way. All the things that were put in place for that plan were in place. We were able to act and execute 98%,” he said.
Also assisting in the emergency effort from the Jersey side was Dr Hilda Roque, an internist and retired army captain, who said she was “expecting the worst” when she arrived at the scene and was relieved that all the passengers were still alive. .
All passengers and crew on board survived after a water rescue. ASSOCIATED PRESS
“They were silent, they were following instructions,” he said of the soaked passengers.
“I was able to take off their shoes and incubate their feet with bags,” he recalls.
New York Waterways Capt. Vincent Lombardi, who assisted in the unprecedented rescue effort, is more familiar with saving sinking ships than sinking planes, he told reporters after the news conference.
“’Airplane’ is not written in literature. It’s usually written ‘sinking ship,’ but we applied what we know and it was a success,” he said.
“The first thing I did was approach the wing because they were submerged. So I thought they needed help right away. They were wet. It was cold outside. There was ice in the water coming down from the bridge,” Lombardi said.
“I placed my boat right on top of the wing and was using my engines to keep me level so the plane wouldn’t veer towards me and I wouldn’t spin and slide towards the plane. It was very tedious,” she continued.
“I’m just grateful we were there to help. “I’m grateful our training prevailed.”
Sanderson said he remembers climbing up on seats to help his fellow passengers and being the last passenger off the plane. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Another passenger present was Denise Lockie, who acts as a sort of informal social director for the 155 passengers and crew, helping them stay in touch. She wears a silver necklace with antique airplane charms that she began collecting after the accident.
“I can only say that the last 15 years are a difficult day to remember: the bravery, the dignity, the respect that was shown.”
He admitted to having “blank memories” of his ordeal that day, not remembering how he got off the plane or onto a rescue boat, but he did remember that he was on the same ferry as Captain Sully.
“I’m not 100% sure what happened, but I’m grateful,” she said.
He enthusiastically thanked the first responders for their life-saving efforts.
Lockie wears a silver necklace with antique airplane charms that he started collecting after the crash. Matthew McDermott
“Without you, this could have been a tragic event and it wasn’t. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
As for his traveling companions, he said: “We are all a family. There’s nothing I can’t say about how grateful I am to have been able to come home and be with my family,” he said.
On that fateful afternoon in 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made a dangerous emergency landing in the Hudson River, just five minutes after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
Shortly after takeoff, as the Airbus A320 reached an altitude of 3,000 feet, the plane encountered a large flock of Canada geese, obstructing the pilots’ field of vision. Some of the birds were sucked into the plane’s engines, which were immediately compromised.
Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, both experienced pilots, remained calm as they attempted to maneuver the endangered plane back to LaGuardia. However, they soon realized that their options were limited.
“We’re going to be in the Hudson,” Sullenberger radioed to Air Traffic Control before plunging into the river at 3:31 p.m.
On that fateful afternoon in 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made a dangerous emergency landing in the Hudson River, just five minutes after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Matthew McDermott
All 155 passengers and crew of Flight 1549 survived and were pulled from the near-freezing waters within 24 minutes of the crash landing by large and small vessels that flocked to the crash site to provide assistance.
Sullenberger became a household name after the miraculous near-disaster, ranking second that year on Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009” list, surpassed only by Michelle Obama.
In 2016, the incident was enshrined on celluloid with the film “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks as the titular hero.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn