Miracles do happen

Yesterday, I heard about a plane crashing into the Hudson and people surviving. But then I saw this photo, and for some reason, it really made me pause. Wow. The passengers are standing on the wings of the plane. At first, I thought the plane was sitting in shallow water, but no. Not at all.

So, of course, the first question is why the plane had to crash land in the river to begin with. Here is the play-by-play (excerpted from the Boston Metro):

3:25 US Airways Flight 1549, with 150 passengers, two pilots and three crew members, takes off from La Guardia, en route to Charlotte, NC.

3:26 The flight reaches 500 feet.

3:27 The plane hits a flock of geese, knocking out both engines, at 3400 feet while flying over central Bronx. The crew declares an emergency.

3:28 The pilot turns sharply left, heading towards the Hudson River. The plane hits 1700 feet.

3:29 The plane reaches 1000 feet then 500 feet. The passengers are told to 'prepare for impact.' The plane ditches (i.e., crash lands in the Hudson River) opposite West 42nd Street. Miraculously, the aircraft remains intact.

3:31 The first ferry and tourism boats arrive on the scene to begin rescue.


Pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is declared a hero, and all 155 people aboard the plane are fine. I feel like the kid in "The Incredibles," who yells "That's wicked awesome!"

For more coverage, the Huffington Post does a pretty good job (and is updating, too) here.