Earlier Surge Unrelated To Incident

A third update from the National Transportation Safety Board on its investigation of US Airways Flight 1549 confirmed Wednesday the remains of birds were found in both engines of the Airbus A320, which became famous in "The Miracle on the Hudson."

The board also appears to dismiss any connection between a surge in the plane's right engine January 13, and the failure that led to that forced landing two days later.

As ANN reported, passengers on that earlier flight said there was a surge in the engine, and an announcement made that the flight would be turning back to LaGuardia. Instead, the engine was successfully restarted, and the flight continued on the Charlotte.

The NTSB now says maintenance personnel found that engine had a defective temperature sensor, replaced the sensor, and followed up with a boroscope inspection which confirmed no internal damage before returning the plane to service. The board also says the engine was in compliance with applicable bulletins and airworthiness directives.

The bird remains have been sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where they will be tested to identify the species.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.usairways.com