“Yeah, the pilot told us to brace for impact and the pilot did one hell of a job in making sure everyone, or the vast majority of everyone got out.” (FOX News)
A US Air flight lands in the Hudson River and the pilot is being hailed as a hero
Hello I’m Charlotte Bellis and you’re watching newsy.com
What could have been a disaster of 911 proportions turned into the story of a lifetime for passengers on board flight fifteen forty-nine bound for Charlotte from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
It’s a story that’s been covered virtually non-stop by the American News Media -- we’re following Fox News, NBC, CNN, Jane’s and The Wall Street Journal.
We start with coverage from FOX News -- who provides this overview of what happened …
“About four minutes after takeoff and then Hell, but they got a miracle. The United, US Air pilot doing what no one else thought could be done, fly with no engines and safely putting down a big commercial aircraft in the Hudson River. It could have been so different, it could have been catastrophic. It could have hit Manhatten skyscrapers or the George Washington Bridge, and tonight we could be morning more than one hundred fifty dead, but that’s not what happened and so we are celebrating. (FOX News)
MSNBC brings additional background on how well pilot C B Sullenberger was prepared for this day in the sky above New York.
“He’s been a pilot for forty years, flew as an air force fighter pilot, he has been with US Airways for twenty nine years. We understand he’s a certified glider pilot as well, which obviously would help with a water landing. He lectures at UC Berkley, here he has his own company which talks about safety, so safety has always been a priority for this man, and it seems that passengers have said, those who know him have said, there is no other man who would have been as perfect to have been at the controls yesterday when this happened.” (MSNBC)
CNN brings us reaction from a passenger who was on the filght.
“Apparently what this pilot did is exactly what you are supposed to do to land the plane safely. He saved a hundred and fifty people today, and maybe more if he had gone down over the city, or anything else like that. It was just incredible, I hope he files every flight I take from now on (laughter).” (CNN)
The Wall Street Journal headlined the story as a rare feat, saying
“…even though pilots go through the motions of learning to ditch a plane in water, the generally held belief is that such landings would almost certainly result in fatalities." (The Wall Street Journal)
Jane’s, known for their technical analysis of aircraft - says the Airbus A320 has an exemplary safety record and complemented the pilot saying his……
“…skill, determination and quick thinking contributed significantly to passengers surviving a crash landing that could have turned out so differently.” (Jane’s)
So, what do you think? What are your thoughts on this story? We invite you to leave your comments at Newsy.com and please check out our sources for more information.
