Today's Most Popular Video
Feb 5, 2009 2:30 pm US/Central
FAA Releases Miracle Plane Tapes
Audio Tapes Reveal Calm Pilot Moments Before Crash Landing In River
Sullenberger: 'We're Going To Be In The Hudson'
NEW YORK (CBS News) ―
-
-
Passengers in an inflatable raft move away from US Airway Flight 1549 Airbus A320 jet after it crashed in Hudson River.
AP
After a futile search for other landing options, the captain of the US Airways flight that lost both engines after a bird strike last month calmly told air traffic controllers "we're gonna be in the Hudson," moments before the plane fell off radar and lost communication, according to FAA flight tapes.
Soon after taking off from LaGuardia airport in New York, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger reported Flight 1549 lost thrust in both engines after hitting a flock of birds. Sullenberger's initial thought was to return to the LaGuardia, but within 45 seconds after the initial message to air traffic control, Sullenberger was thinking of other alternatives.
"We're unable. We may end up in the Hudson," he told the officials at New York TRACON, an air traffic control facility in Westbury, N.Y.
According to the tapes, Sullenberger, who sounded calm and matter-of-fact during the episode, also considered Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, just across the river from New York, but told controllers "we can't do it."
Less than two minutes after the initial communication, Sullenberger sent his final transmission to air traffic control before making a stunning emergency landing in the river that saved all 155 on board.
On Wednesday, federal safety officials said they've confirmed there were birds in both engines of the flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board said remains from both engines have also been sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to have the particular bird species identified.
The safety board also said that an engine surge experienced by the Airbus A320 two days before the accident was due to faulty temperature sensor. The sensor was replaced, and the engine was examined and found to be undamaged before being returned to service.
The plane's left engine has been shipped to the headquarters of the manufacturer, CFM International, in Cincinnati, where it is being torn down, the board said. However, the flight data recorder revealed no anomalies or malfunctions in either engine until Sullenberger reported striking birds, the board said.
Engine maintenance records also show the engines had been serviced in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration's most recent safety directive, the board said.
Last week, the aircraft was moved from the barge where it had been docked in Jersey City, N.J., to a secure salvage yard in Kearny, N.J, where it will remain throughout the estimated 12 to 18 months the NTSB investigation could take.
Sullenberger and the entire crew of flight 1549 will appear this Sunday on
60 Minutes for their first television interview.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Swimsuit Cover Model Forgot To Wear Top
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
