Some of the crew and passengers aboard the “Miracle on the Hudson” reunited Monday to mark the 15th anniversary of “the most successful marine rescue in aviation history.”
About 50 passengers, ferry boat operators and hospital staff gathered at Pier 79 to honor the first responders who went into action when US Airways Flight 1549 splashed into the Hudson River on January 15, 2009.
All passengers and crew survived after the water rescue.
“It’s amazing how people come together even though they don’t know each other,” said event organizer Dave Sanderson, a passenger on the flight who has since become a motivational speaker and author.
Sanderson recalled hearing an explosion and looking out the window to see flames shooting out from under the plane. A harrowing 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 coming in for an emergency landing, Sanderson assumed he meant the 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 landed in the water.
About 50 passengers, ferry boat operators and hospital staff gathered at Pier 79 to pay tribute to the first responders who went into action when US Airways Flight 1549 splashed down in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. Matthew McDermott
Sanderson said he remembers climbing into the seat to help his fellow passenger, and being the last passenger off the plane.
“There is no room in the wings or the boat for me,” he said.
Upon hearing the now-submerged plane begin to “groan,” Sanderson feared it would sink. Faced with little choice, he entered the 36-degree water, unsure if he would be rescued in time, until he saw a New York Waterway ferry headed his way and decided to swim for it.
“It was the longest 15-yard swim of my life.”
Giovanni Ahmad, municipal manager for Weehawken, New Jersey, was an EMT in 2009, responsible for coordinating transport and resources for EMS and hospitals in the Garden State’s Hudson division.
Survivors Dave Sanderson and Denise Lockie are joined by first responders on the 15th anniversary of the crash of US Airways Flight 1549. Matthew McDermott
He credited the New Jersey Port Safety Initiative, a plan designed after 9/11 to strategize and coordinate emergency response to disasters between New York and New Jersey, for the “winning” rescue operation.
Although the plan, which was finalized just four weeks before the crash, mostly covered incidents like overturned boats or sinking ferries, the lesson was a blessing on the day of the Miracle on the Hudson.
“We literally took the show and said ‘no difference.’ It’s not designed for airplanes but you treat it just the same. All the things that are set in motion for the show have been prepared. We were able to act and implement 98% of them,” he said.
Also helping in the emergency effort from the Jersey side is Dr. Hilda Roque, an internist and retired army captain, said she “expected the worst” when she arrived at the scene and was relieved all the passengers were alive.
All passengers and crew survived after the water rescue. RELATED NEWSPAPERS
“They were quiet, they followed orders,” he said of the drenched passengers.
“I was able to remove their shoes and incubate their feet with bags,” he said.
New York Waterways Capt. Vincent Lombardi, who assisted with the unprecedented rescue effort, is more used to rescuing sinking boats than sinking airplanes, he told reporters after the news conference.
“‘Plane’ is not written in literature. It’s usually written ‘sinking ship,’ but we used what we knew for it and it worked,” he said.
“What I did first was approach the wings because they were sinking. So I think they need immediate help. They are wet. It’s cold. There’s ice in the water coming off the bridge,” Lombardi said.
“I put my boat right on top of the wing and I used my engine to keep me level so the plane didn’t drift into me and I didn’t spin and crash into the plane. It’s very boring,” he continued.
“I’m just thankful we’re there to help. I am thankful that our training was successful.”
Sanderson said he remembers climbing into the seat to help his fellow passenger, and being the last passenger off the plane. RELATED NEWSPAPERS
Another passenger in attendance was Denise Lockie, who acted as the unofficial social director for the 155 passengers and crew, helping them stay in touch. He wore a silver necklace of antique airplane charms that he began collecting after the crash.
“I can only say that 15 years ago was a heavy day to remember: the courage, the dignity, the respect shown.”
He admitted to having “blank memories” of his ordeal that day, not remembering how he got out of the plane, or getting into the lifeboat, but he did remember being on the same ferry as Captain Sully.
“I’m not 100% sure what happened, but I’m grateful,” he said.
He passionately thanked the first responders for their life-saving efforts.
Lockie was wearing an antique airplane charm silver necklace that he had started collecting after the crash. Matthew McDermott
“Without you, this might have been a tragic event and it wasn’t. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
As for his fellow passengers, he said, “We are all one family. There is nothing I can’t say about how grateful I am to be back home and with my family,” he said.
On that fateful evening in 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made a dangerous emergency landing in the Hudson River, just five minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
Shortly after takeoff, when the Airbus A320 reached an altitude of 3,000 feet, the aircraft encountered a large flock of Canada geese, blocking the pilot’s field of vision. Several birds were sucked into the plane’s engine, both of which were immediately affected.
Sullenberger and first officer Jeffrey Skiles, both experienced pilots, remained calm as they tried to maneuver the stricken plane back to LaGuardia. However, they soon realize their options are limited.
“We’re going to be in the Hudson,” Sullenberger famously radioed to Air Traffic Control before dumping the water into the river at 3:31 p.m.
On that fateful evening in 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made a dangerous emergency landing in the Hudson River, just five minutes after takeoff 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 boats large and small that rushed to the crash site to render aid.
Sullenberger became a household name after the near-miraculous disaster, that year ranking second on Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009,” beaten only by Michelle Obama.
In 2016, the incident was recorded on celluloid with the movie “Sully” starring Tom Hanks as the main hero.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
