Flight Recorders Recovered, Sent To DC For Evaluation

Workers successfully raised the wrecked hulk of US airways Flight 1549 from the Hudson River Saturday night, placing it on a barge for transport to a suitable location for further examination.

The A320's left engine, which was sheared off by the impact of the water landing, has been located on the river's bottom by sonar. Recovery of the engine from the icy waters is expected to commence as soon as possible.

ABC News reports investigators have also located the plane's "black boxes" -- the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder -- and sent them off to the National Transportation Safety Board's Washington, DC labs for analysis.

As ANN reported, US Airways Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River last Thursday after losing power from both engines simultaneously minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. Although the investigation is just getting underway, interviews with the crew and passengers have revealed much about their harrowing experience.

Describing the series of events leading to the airliner's ditching, NTSB spokesperson Kitty Higgins said that First Officer Jeffrey Skiles was doing the flying as the plane took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport just before 3:30 pm last Thursday.

As the Airbus climbed through 3,000 feet, Skiles noticed a formation of birds to starboard. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger looked up just in time to see big, dark brown birds filling the windscreen. Sullenberger said his first instinct was to... "duck."

Next, the crew smelled something burning and then both engines lost power. A flight attendant said the eerie silence was "like being in a library." It was then that Sullenberger took the controls and weighed his options.

The pilot declared an emergency, telling controllers, "We have lost thrust in both engines; we are turning back to LaGuardia," but soon realized returning was not feasible. "The Captain decided no, too low, too slow, too many buildings, too populated an area," Higgins said.

Another alternative Sullenberger considered was a small airport near Teterboro, NJ. "It was farther away," said Higgins. "He'd never been there, didn't think he could make it and was concerned that if he didn't make it, it was also a populated area ... the consequences would have been catastrophic."

The best choice soon became clear. The captain told controllers, "We're gonna be in the Hudson." Higgins said, "He made a decision to land near a vessel to improve chances for recovery."

Just prior to settling into the water, Sullenberger told his passengers to "brace for impact," as flight attendants called out, "Brace, brace, heads down." A flight attendant said the impact felt like a hard landing with no bounce.

Flight attendants recalled shouting to passengers, "Leave everything, come forward, put on life vests." Then they opened the forward doors and deployed the evacuation slides - which also function as life rafts. A flight attendant was able to manually inflate one of the slides that did not automatically inflate.

Sullenberger lauded the performance of his courageous crew. "He could not be more happy that everyone got off the plane safely," said Higgins.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov