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U.S. Airways Flight 1549 Accident Essay

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U.S. Airways Flight 1549 Accident: Flight Accident: The above mentioned airplane was a planned commercial passenger flight that took off from LaGuardia Airport, New York destined for Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina on January 15, 2009. Six minutes after takeoff, the airplane was successfully abandoned in Hudson River after striking multiple birds during its initial climb out. The crew reported by radio two minutes after takeoff at an altitude of 3,200 feet, the Airbus experienced multiple bird strikes. The result of this multiple bird strikes, which occurred in northeast of George Washington Bridge was compressor stalls as well as loss of thrust in both engines. The Airbus was ditched in Hudson River after the aircrew …show more content…

After successfully ditching the plane in mid-river, the aircrew began to evacuate the 150 passengers immediately. While some passengers were evacuated through the four mid-cabin emergency window exits, others were evacuated through the front right passenger door. The rescue efforts involving local ferries and tugs began almost immediately with some passengers standing on the wings of the floating plane while others entered life rafts. In addition to these local ferries and tugs, police helicopters, rescue divers and Coast Guard vessels among others joined the rescue efforts. Notably, other organizations provided about thirty other ambulances including various hospital-based ambulances. Medical help was also provided by various agencies on the Weehawken side of the river. These rescue and recovery efforts led to the safe evacuation of all the passengers as well as the flight crew. While seventy-eight people were treated for minor injuries and hypothermia, the two broken legs of one woman, a fight attendant, was the only major injury. While some patients were treated in triage facilities, about twenty-four passengers and two rescue personnel were cared for in hospitals. The aftermath of the accident led to the plane being anchored to a pier near the World Financial Center in order to stop it from floating out

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