CNN has an audio clip up from flight 1549 as it went into the Hudson: Air traffic tapes of Hudson plane crash released - CNN.com Tom
That's one flight where reading the emergency card contained in the seatback infront of you would have been useful!
As an ex pilot it brings back alot of old memories, amazing how matter of factly both the pilots and the controllers handeled themselves.
Planes can pretty much land and take off today without anyone doing a thing. But, I for sure wouldn't want a computer making all the decisions when both engines quit... It probably would have tried to push it to a 'known' airport and bad things. That's what they make them pilot bucks for!
The Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft only operate in Normal Law with all systems nominal: overspeed protection, alpha floor protection, configuration (Flaps, gear, etc) protection, etc Losing both engines will dump the Flight Augmentation Computer, pop the bus tie's to Emergency Essential, and put the aircraft into Direct Law. Once both engines spooled down, the fly-by-wire is running off the batteries. They were in the air about five minutes before ditching. It takes at least 3 minutes for the APU to start and stabalize, to provide backup power, bleed air, and hydraulic assist: a useful option at altitude if there is an engine failure(s) "Sully" did a perfect job, and proved that even a fly-by-wire electronic aircraft is capable of safe ditching. This may be the only successful ditching on record, and will be studied for decades. The crew deserve the highest honors The only mistake made, and I'm really nit-picking here, is that in the gut-wrenching realization they were going to land on the Hudson, the crew forgot to arm and set the Ditch switch. The Ditch switch closes the external pressure valves and exhaust ports off the packs. As the air cycle machine works by having bleed air flowing through it, it needs a fairly large opening in the belly for exhausting bleed air. Water will quickly flow into the ACM packs and start sinking the aircraft However, the aircraft remained afloat a *very* long time. Not sure if hitting the Ditch switch would have made any difference. One engine sheared off on landing, helping with weight right there. The tanks were full, and Jet-A is lighter than water
This is not the first time a bird strike caused serious damage. A documentary film crew was at Manchester Ringway airport in 2007, filming a "normal" day A ThompsonFly 757 - with CFC engines - was captured on takeoff with the right engine ingesting a bird a lot smaller than a goose. The engine was seriously damaged and started badly surging, the "backfires" heard as the plane climbed This YouTube link of the event is long, but very well done Everything was done properly here too. The pilots kept the throttles at TOGA even though the right engine was now very seriously surging. Once they had a positive rate of climb, they then took care of the right engine, and took their sweet time to go around and do an emergency landing
It shows clearly that training for a disaster will give you the tools for saving your bottom when everything goes wrong.
I'm looking forward to the 60 Minutes interview of Sully which is supposed to air this Sunday. Sure he sounded calm and professional, but I'd bet you a bottle of gin that he had to change his underwear after he was back on shore
Well that goes without saying, once he is on dry land there was the chance he might get hit by a bus if he didn't! Remember what mum always told you?
You just never know. If his luck was like mine, he'd fearlessly ditch an airliner and save all the lives on board, then drown in the tub back at the hotel
Well, watched the interview on 60 Minutes. Gee-zus, but Sullenberger is one cool customer!. I can only hope that every airline pilot is cast from the same mould as Sullenberger was.
i'm watching sully and the entire flight crew on GMA right now. he seems like a very nice guy.............calm and collected, intelligent and obviously made the absolute right decision on the face of challenge. i applaud him and the entire crew. you know what? no one mentioned this, but is sully atypical of a PRIUS OWNER?
