15 JAN 2009 _______________________________________ *NTSB SENDING GO TEAM TO NEW YORK CITY FOR HUDSON RIVER AIRLINER ACCIDENT *Bird may have been sucked into engine *US Airways Airbus A320 crash lands in New York's Hudson River *US Airways A320 crashes into New York's Hudson River *************************************** NTSB SENDING GO TEAM TO NEW YORK CITY FOR HUDSON RIVER AIRLINER ACCIDENT ************************************************************ The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a Go Team to investigate today's crash of a US Airways Airbus A-320 (N106US) into the Hudson River in New York City. Senior Air Safety Investigator Robert Benzon has been designated as Investigator-in-Charge of the 20-member team. NTSB Member Kitty Higgins is accompanying the team and will serve as principal spokesperson for the on-scene investigation. Peter Knudson is the press officer for the investigative team. The team will be arriving in New York this evening. Once in New York, Mr. Knudson can be reached on his cell phone, 202-557-1350. NTSB Media Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz (202) 314-6100 lopatt@ntsb.gov ***************** Bird may have been sucked into engine, FAA spokeswoman says NEW YORK (CNN) -- A US Airways plane with more than 150 people aboard went down in the Hudson River on Thursday after taking off from LaGuardia Airport, and everyone aboard got off the plane alive, officials said. The plane entered the water Thursday afternoon following a failed takeoff, the FAA says. 1 of 2 Flight 1549, headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, may have experienced a bird strike, according to FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. Passenger Alberto Pinero said that within a couple minutes after takeoff, "you just heard a loud bang and the plane shook a bit." Passengers could smell smoke, and "the plane just started turning. ... We knew something was going on, 'cause look, we were turning back," he said. Watch footage of plane in water > "Somehow, the plane stayed afloat and we were all able to get on a raft," Pinero said. "It's just incredible now that everyone's still alive." The plane had 148 passengers, Brown said, and either five or six crew members on board when it took off at 3:26 p.m. It was airborne for less than three minutes, she said. Everyone on board exited the Airbus A320, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Witnesses reported seeing the plane hit a flock of birds, Brown said. See map of crash site > A source familiar with the situation told CNN the pilot reported a double bird strike, but it was unclear whether that meant birds in both of the engines or two birds in one engine. The pilot initially said he needed to go back, and air traffic controllers started to give him clearance to do so, but the pilot said he wanted to head to Teterboro, New Jersey, because it was closer. That was the last transmission from the pilot, the source said. Pinero said the plane's captain came on the speaker and said, " 'Brace for impact.' " "That's when we knew we were going down and into the water," Pinero said. Pinero said rescue boats arrived immediately. "I think a lot of people started praying and just collecting themselves," passenger Fred Barretta said. "It was quite stunning." He said he was expecting the plane to flip over and break apart, but it did not. "It was a great landing." Live video showed the plane bobbing in the water and moving with the current surrounded by boats, including a ferry that dropped life jackets into the water. Pictures from the scene showed passengers filing off the plane on safety chutes. Witness Ben Vonklemperrer said he saw the plane go down. "I'm in an office building on the 25th floor," he said. "A short time ago, I saw what looked to be a small commercial plane flying south making a gradual landing. I saw it hit the water. It made a big splash. ... If someone's going to land a plane in the water, this seemed the best possible way to do it. The way they hit it was very gradual. A very slow contact with the water." Since 1975, five large jetliners have had major accidents in which bird strikes played a role, according to the Web site of Bird Strike Committee USA, a volunteer group dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of the strikes. More than 56,000 bird strikes were reported to the FAA from 1998 to 2004 according to the group's Web site. An Airbus A320 has 150 seats -- 12 in first class and 138 in economy, according to the Airbus Web site. People who believe they may have had relatives on the flight may call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States, the airline said. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/15/new.york.plane.crash/index.html *************** US Airways Airbus A320 crash lands in New York's Hudson River More than 150 people escaped alive after a US Airways Airbus made an emergency landing on the Hudson River next to Manhattan tonight after flying into a flock of birds. Survivors and officials said that all 155 people on board left the aircraft through emergency exits, with some standing on the wing before being rescued by a ferry and police launches that sped to the fuselage after the aircraft hit the icy water. The Airbus A320 had taken off from LaGuardia airport in New York six minutes earlier, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, when it hit the birds, disabling both its engines, officials said. Witnesses identified the birds as geese. The pilot, who reported a multiple bird strike almost immediately after take-off, instructed the passengers to brace for impact before the aircraft glided on to the Hudson River just off West 48th Street in Manhattan. Alberto Panero, a survivor, told CNN: "Within a couple of minutes, all of a sudden we heard a loud bang. The plane shook a bit. You could smell, like, smoke, like fire. "Immediately, the plane just started turning in another direction. It did not seem it was out of control. We knew something was going on. We were turning back. "All of a sudden the captain came on and said, 'Brace for impact'." Fred Beretta, a passenger sitting in a seat above the left engine, told CNN: "The engine blew out then the pilot turned around and made a line for the river. There was a lot of silence. The pilot said 'prepare for impact'. It was a phenomenal landing from the pilot. "We hit the river and it was quite an impact. The plane stayed together - people were afraid it might split up. People were very orderly, there wasn't a lot of panic. We went out of the doors and on to the wing. A few people went into the water, but they got out. "When the pilot said prepare for impact, a lot of people started praying and collecting themselves. We knew there wasn't a lot of time - we were quite close to the ground and the descent was rapid. The impact was pretty intense. It didn't last long - the pilot extended the flaps . . . it was a great landing. The plane did jockey back and forth, which seemed to last an eternity. "I did see the engine flame out and it seemed either to be on fire or smoking." Jeff Koladjay was one of the first passengers picked up by a liferaft. "I'm wet from my waist down, it's a little cold in New York right now," he told The Times. "It was really scary, the plane filled with water really quick. The guys on the plane did a great job of getting women and children off first. Kudos to the pilot and kudos to the people who got us off the boats. "I'm just really happy that everyone on that plane lived. It ain't gonna be a golf trip, but thank God we're alive." Stiro Katehs and his father witnessed the emergency landing as they drove down 77th street "My father said: 'Look, there's a plane falling'. It was gliding, gliding, gliding, then it hit the water at Pier 83. When it hit the water it erupted just like a volcano," Mr Katehs said. "It hit the water in the Hudson at the end of 47th street and has now floated down as far as 40th street." The aircraft was submerged initially in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews opened the door and pulled passengers from the aircraft. It then sank slowly into the river. Laura Brown, a Federal Aviation Administration official, confirmed that the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off en route to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the crash occurred. "There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," Laura Keehner, a Homeland Security official, said. LaGuardia airport has a long history of aircraft ending up in the river. The runways are built out over the water and have been criticised repeatedly for being too short. The New York authorities decided it would be too costly to extend them. *In 1992, 27 people died when a US Air Fokker F28 toppled into the river at the end of the runway after struggling to take off because of ice on the wings. The water was only five feet deep but the fuselage broke up and turned upside down. *In 1989, a US Air flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, the same destination as the aircraft in yesterday's crash, rolled into the East River after aborting take-off. Three people died. *In 1959, an American Airlines aircraft crashed on approach into the East River, killing 65 of the 73 people on board. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5526723.e ce ***************** US Airways A320 crashes into New York's Hudson River NEW YORK - A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending 150 on board scrambling onto rescue boats, authorities say. No deaths or serious injuries were immediately reported. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan. Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, appears to have hit one or more birds. A law enforcement official said that authorities are not aware of any deaths and that the passengers do not appear to be seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rescue was still under way. The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking. Government officials do not believe the crash is related to terrorism. "There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. "We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue." Witnesses said the plane's pilot appeared to guide the plane down. "I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it's landing right in the water," said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine "Inside Edition." "This looked like a controlled descent." New York City firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard are responding to the crash. "I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water," said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. "All the boats have sort of circled the area." http://www.airdisaster.com/news/article.php?id=44 ***************