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cc

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>> The co-pilot Jeff Skiles and

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Captain Sully Sullenberger, the

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cockpit crew of US Airways 1549

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safely landed the airbus

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jetliner on the Hudson River in

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New York, saving more than 150

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lives.

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While this event and its safe

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conclusion that vaulted Jeff and

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Sully into the media spotlight,

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Jeff has been involved with

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aviation nearly his entire life.

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Jeff's parents were both pilots

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and were participants in the

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annual EAA fly-in convention the

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1960s, which has been held back

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at that time in Rockford,

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Illinois.

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That built his own flying

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enthusiasm as he built his own

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flying career and eventually

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joined US Airways in 1986.

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He has now logged more than

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20,000 hours flying in

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everything from vintage

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airplanes to some of the world's

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most sophisticated jetliners.

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Jeff joined EAA in 2012 and

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serves as the vice president of

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communities and member programs.

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In that role, he leads several

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of the organizations key

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programs, including Young

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Eagles, which has introduced

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more than 1.8 million youth to

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flying since 1992.

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He also is part of EAA's network

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of more than 900 local chapters

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and supports in aviation in EAA

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and local communities.

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Jeff also heads up the

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leadership team here at EAA

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AirVenture Museum.

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Since its opening in 1983, the

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museum has welcomed more than

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2.5 million visitors.

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Jeff has owned a number of

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aircraft, both vintage and

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contemporary, which he enjoys to

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fly to EAA events and other

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fly-ins throughout the Midwest.

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He is a regular contributor to

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the EAA Sport Aviation magazine

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and is involved in pilot and

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aviation safety issues for both

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aviation civilian and aviation

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airliners.

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So, please welcome Jeff Skiles.

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[APPLAUSE]

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>> Thank you.

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Thank you.

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I must say, when we scheduled

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this about four months ago, I

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had no idea the level of free

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publicity that I was going to

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get to promote this

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this evening.

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Do you know that it was on CNN,

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CBS, ABC?

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Of course, they might have been

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talking about the event

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behind me.

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[LAUGHTER]

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So I got quite a story to tell

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you this evening.

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And I'm going to do that tonight

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by putting you on the jump seat.

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And you're probably asking

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yourself, what's a jump seat?

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Well, airline pilots in the

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crowd will know that between the

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captain and the first officer in

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every cockpit there's a little

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seat that folds out from the

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wall.

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And it's a very special place.

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And only very special people get

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to sit there.

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You have to be on a database

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with the Department of Homeland

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Security to be allowed access to

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any cockpit in this country.

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But tonight I'm going to put you

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on that jump seat, and I'm going

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to be doing that by taking you

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along with me and telling you my

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story.

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Now, as you sit there, to your

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left you're looking at

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Captain Chesley Burnett

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Sullenberger III.

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[LAUGHTER]

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That's quite a name.

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In the course of our trip,

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before the incident, we're up at

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altitude flying out to

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San Francisco and I'm looking at

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my trip sheet, which is this

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little piece of paper we carry

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that says where we're going,

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when we have to be there, when

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we have to get up, and who the

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crew members are, and I'm

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looking at this name that takes

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the entire space that's allowed

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for a name on this trip sheet.

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And I said, hey, Sully, with a

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name like that, it must put a

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lot of pressure on a man to

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produce a Chesley Burnett

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Sullenberger IV.

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[LAUGHTER]

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And he said, Jeff, that is

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exactly why I adopted two girls.

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[LAUGHTER]

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Sully grew up in Denton, Texas.

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Kind of the northwest side of

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Dallas.

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He learned to fly as a teenager

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and got a private pilot license

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before he graduated high school.

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He went to the Air Force

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Academy, and when he graduated

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from there he went to fighter

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pilot school and flew F-4

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Phantom fighters just after the

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end of the Vietnam War.

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Sully got out of his shift

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there, or his hitch, and he

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joined Pacific Southwest

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Airlines, which is one of the

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airlines that makes up the

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current day US Airways.

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Now, for those of you who don't

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know, which is probably most of

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the crowd, he's very much as he

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appears on TV.

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He is the professional's

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professional.

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Even before our accident, I was

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noticing how precise he was

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about everything that he did in

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the cockpit.

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He tries to be the best, and he

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knows that that's going to take

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work not necessarily talent.

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And he puts in the work to make

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it happen.

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So Sully is really, really quite

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an individual.

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To your right, you're looking at

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me, Jeff Skiles.

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I also learned how to fly as a

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teenager right here in Madison,

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Wisconsin.

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Got my license when I was

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17 years old.

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My first job was pumping gas at

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the airport.

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Became a flight instructor while

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I was going to college.

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Worked at a couple smaller

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airlines, but I was hired

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at US Airways in 1986.

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And I've been both a captain and

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a first officer at US Airways at

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different times, and at the

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time, I was working as a first

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officer so I could get the best

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of schedules because I was very

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senior in that position.

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Now, I find that people like to

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tell me where they were when

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they first heard the news or

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saw those first pictures.

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Well, I don't know where you

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were...

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[LAUGHTER]

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But I'm going to tell you where

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I was.

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[LAUGHTER]

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We'd actually started that day

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in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,

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on a layover.

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We flew down to Charlotte, and

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we switched airplanes and we're

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going to go on up to LaGuardia.

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Now, LaGuardia had low clouds

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and snow that day, and if you

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know anything about the east

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coast, that means air traffic

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control delay.

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So we're at the end of the

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runway in what we call the

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holding pad with our engines

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shut down, down at the end of

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1-8 left in Charlotte.

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And I'm asking Sully what there

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is to do on the west coast

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because this is my very first

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trip in the airbus.

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I've just gotten out of training

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the week before.

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And the airplanes that I had

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flown, I'd come from a 737 in

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the Philadelphia base, and the

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airplanes I'd flown had not

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flown west of Kansas City in

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probably my last 20 years of my

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career.

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So layovers like San Diego,

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San Francisco, Los Angeles,

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these are exotic layover

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destinations to me.

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[LAUGHTER]

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Ironically, he starts telling me

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about the Seattle layover.

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And he says there's a great

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opportunity there.

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He says there's a place called

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Kenmore Air, and you can walk

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there from our layover hotel and

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they'll let you jump seat with

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them.

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They fly these little float

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planes out to the

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San Juan Islands and up to

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British Columbia.

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I'm thinking this is pretty

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cool.

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I get out my trip sheet.

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I get out my pen.

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I'm writing down who you call,

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how you set this up because

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I have never landed on water

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before.

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[LAUGHTER]

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Did finally make it out there

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about a year ago.

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[LAUGHTER]

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But I kind of already had that

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box checked.

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[LAUGHTER]

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Now, up in LaGuardia,

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where you're going to join us on

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the jump seat, a cold front has

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moved through and it's pushed

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the clouds and the snow off to

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the east.

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It's clearing but it's really

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cold.

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I remember walking around the

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airplane, which we do every time

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we land, we do a walk-around and

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check out the exterior of the

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airplane, and I remember that

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cold just biting through my

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leather jacket.

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We got back, we boarded the

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passengers, and every seat was

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filled.

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150 passengers joined us today

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on this flight.

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In the cockpit, you're seeing

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Sully and I conducting our

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pre-start checklist.

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We actually go through what we

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call flows where we go through

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the cockpit in a very ordered

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manner.

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We check every switch, load

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every computer, check every

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system, and then, over on top of

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that, we do a checklist in

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between us to make sure we've

287
00:08:37,833 --> 00:08:39,300
accomplished the most important

288
00:08:39,300 --> 00:08:41,400
items.

289
00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:43,566
We close the door, push back,

290
00:08:43,566 --> 00:08:46,266
and start up our engines.

291
00:08:46,266 --> 00:08:48,900
On the taxi out, I'm setting the

292
00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:50,766
controls for takeoff, imputing

293
00:08:50,766 --> 00:08:52,466
our weights into the computers

294
00:08:52,466 --> 00:08:53,933
to get the proper takeoff

295
00:08:53,933 --> 00:08:55,233
speeds, and talking on the radio

296
00:08:55,233 --> 00:08:57,100
to the ground controller.

297
00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:59,066
Sully's taxiing the airplane.

298
00:08:59,066 --> 00:09:01,533
We get out to the end of

299
00:09:01,533 --> 00:09:04,766
Runway 4 in LaGuardia.

300
00:09:04,766 --> 00:09:08,466
And we stop short and I give my

301
00:09:08,466 --> 00:09:11,133
takeoff briefing because this

302
00:09:11,133 --> 00:09:13,266
just happens to be my leg.

303
00:09:13,266 --> 00:09:14,533
As airline crews go through the

304
00:09:14,533 --> 00:09:16,500
day, we swap legs.

305
00:09:16,500 --> 00:09:17,566
One leg the captain flies, one

306
00:09:17,566 --> 00:09:19,333
leg the first officer flies, and

307
00:09:19,333 --> 00:09:20,500
we just kind of swap legs going

308
00:09:20,500 --> 00:09:21,500
through the day.

309
00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:22,833
It just happened to be my leg

310
00:09:22,833 --> 00:09:24,733
to fly.

311
00:09:24,733 --> 00:09:27,033
Now, this is not only just my

312
00:09:27,033 --> 00:09:29,566
first trip on an airbus in

313
00:09:29,566 --> 00:09:33,233
regular scheduled transport,

314
00:09:33,233 --> 00:09:34,333
it's also my first trip

315
00:09:34,333 --> 00:09:36,066
with Sully.

316
00:09:36,066 --> 00:09:38,033
At the time, I'd worked there

317
00:09:38,033 --> 00:09:39,800
for 24 years, he'd worked there

318
00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:41,533
for 30, I don't every recall

319
00:09:41,533 --> 00:09:44,100
even seeing Sully before.

320
00:09:44,100 --> 00:09:45,633
A lot of people think that we're

321
00:09:45,633 --> 00:09:47,766
joined at the hip as crew

322
00:09:47,766 --> 00:09:49,533
members, but we're not at all.

323
00:09:49,533 --> 00:09:51,000
There's 5,000 pilots at

324
00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,266
US Airways alone, which is a

325
00:09:52,266 --> 00:09:54,300
smaller carrier.

326
00:09:54,300 --> 00:09:55,533
We can't depend on knowing the

327
00:09:55,533 --> 00:09:57,766
person we're going to work with.

328
00:09:57,766 --> 00:10:00,366
We have to sit down next to

329
00:10:00,366 --> 00:10:03,133
somebody and perform as a crew

330
00:10:03,133 --> 00:10:05,133
from the very first takeoff.

331
00:10:05,133 --> 00:10:06,733
We do that by following our

332
00:10:06,733 --> 00:10:08,700
procedures and our training very

333
00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:10,200
strictly.

334
00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:11,933
I didn't really know Sully but I

335
00:10:11,933 --> 00:10:13,733
knew exactly what he was going

336
00:10:13,733 --> 00:10:15,400
to do in any situation, and he

337
00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,600
knew the same of me.

338
00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,933
Our air traffic controller

339
00:10:19,933 --> 00:10:22,033
clears us for takeoff.

340
00:10:22,033 --> 00:10:25,366
Sully comes out, taxis it out,

341
00:10:25,366 --> 00:10:27,066
lines it up with the center line

342
00:10:27,066 --> 00:10:28,533
stripes, sets the parking break,

343
00:10:28,533 --> 00:10:30,033
and he says, your aircraft.

344
00:10:30,033 --> 00:10:31,333
And I said, my aircraft, which

345
00:10:31,333 --> 00:10:33,800
is how we verbalize transferring

346
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:35,566
control of the airplane to make

347
00:10:35,566 --> 00:10:37,100
sure that somebody is flying it

348
00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:38,533
at all times.

349
00:10:38,533 --> 00:10:40,866
[LAUGHTER]

350
00:10:40,866 --> 00:10:43,166
You laugh, but that actually

351
00:10:43,166 --> 00:10:45,833
is a result of accidents

352
00:10:45,833 --> 00:10:47,333
that have happened because both

353
00:10:47,333 --> 00:10:49,166
pilots were trying to solve

354
00:10:49,166 --> 00:10:50,700
an emergency and nobody was

355
00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:52,766
actually paying heed to what

356
00:10:52,766 --> 00:10:55,533
the aircraft was doing.

357
00:10:55,533 --> 00:10:57,866
I reach over and I grab these

358
00:10:57,866 --> 00:10:59,800
large thrust levers and push

359
00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:01,500
them up into the takeoff

360
00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:04,100
and go-around D-10.

361
00:11:04,100 --> 00:11:05,633
The airbus is a fly-by-wire

362
00:11:05,633 --> 00:11:08,333
airplane, which means that

363
00:11:08,333 --> 00:11:10,066
nothing in the cockpit is

364
00:11:10,066 --> 00:11:12,100
actually attached to anything.

365
00:11:12,100 --> 00:11:13,666
These bit throttles that I just

366
00:11:13,666 --> 00:11:15,433
pushed forward operate these

367
00:11:15,433 --> 00:11:16,833
tiny little microswitches below

368
00:11:16,833 --> 00:11:18,433
the panel.

369
00:11:18,433 --> 00:11:20,100
The control stick with which we

370
00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:21,933
fly it just sends electrical

371
00:11:21,933 --> 00:11:23,833
impulses to a computer that then

372
00:11:23,833 --> 00:11:25,766
pours hydraulic fluid out onto

373
00:11:25,766 --> 00:11:27,700
servos to operate the control

374
00:11:27,700 --> 00:11:29,300
surfaces on the wings and on the

375
00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:31,133
tail.

376
00:11:31,133 --> 00:11:33,066
We start accelerating down the

377
00:11:33,066 --> 00:11:34,433
runway.

378
00:11:34,433 --> 00:11:35,900
Sully makes our standard call

379
00:11:35,900 --> 00:11:37,366
outs of 80, V1, rotate.

380
00:11:37,366 --> 00:11:39,633
I pull back on the side stick.

381
00:11:39,633 --> 00:11:40,966
We leave the runway.

382
00:11:40,966 --> 00:11:42,433
He says positive rate,

383
00:11:42,433 --> 00:11:46,366
and I say gear up.

384
00:11:46,366 --> 00:11:48,000
At 400 feet, we rolled to a

385
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,900
heading of north, which was our

386
00:11:49,900 --> 00:11:51,833
assigned departure heading, and

387
00:11:51,833 --> 00:11:54,066
we start to accelerate and

388
00:11:54,066 --> 00:11:55,833
clean up the airplane.

389
00:11:55,833 --> 00:11:57,833
At 3,000 feet in the air, which

390
00:11:57,833 --> 00:11:59,666
isn't very high at all, I'm

391
00:11:59,666 --> 00:12:01,866
pitching the nose over to

392
00:12:01,866 --> 00:12:03,900
accelerate even further to our

393
00:12:03,900 --> 00:12:06,266
air speed.

394
00:12:06,266 --> 00:12:07,800
We actually have, like you have

395
00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:13,000
a highway miles per hour speed,

396
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,966
we actually have an air speed in

397
00:12:14,966 --> 00:12:15,633
the air.

398
00:12:15,633 --> 00:12:16,766
It's 250 knots

399
00:12:16,766 --> 00:12:17,933
below 10,000 feet.

400
00:12:17,933 --> 00:12:19,000
You can't go faster than that.

401
00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,333
But I'm only about 204 knots,

402
00:12:21,333 --> 00:12:22,833
and I'm pitching it forward to

403
00:12:22,833 --> 00:12:25,666
accelerate, and I remember

404
00:12:25,666 --> 00:12:27,533
something caught my eye.

405
00:12:27,533 --> 00:12:29,666
And I look slightly above us

406
00:12:29,666 --> 00:12:31,100
and to the right

407
00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:33,366
and I see a line of birds

408
00:12:33,366 --> 00:12:36,866
too close to maneuver around.

409
00:12:36,866 --> 00:12:38,333
In fact, traveling at that

410
00:12:38,333 --> 00:12:40,066
speed, by the time you see a

411
00:12:40,066 --> 00:12:41,200
bird, it's really too late to do

412
00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,533
anything about it.

413
00:12:43,533 --> 00:12:45,400
And then I hear Sully next to me

414
00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:47,466
say, birds.

415
00:12:47,466 --> 00:12:48,600
And that fast we were on top of

416
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:49,766
them.

417
00:12:49,766 --> 00:12:51,066
Their bodies were impacting on

418
00:12:51,066 --> 00:12:54,133
the wings, on the fuselage, and

419
00:12:54,133 --> 00:12:57,033
at least two of them went

420
00:12:57,033 --> 00:13:00,266
through the core of each engine.

421
00:13:00,266 --> 00:13:01,866
And when I say the core, when

422
00:13:01,866 --> 00:13:03,133
you're looking at a jet engine

423
00:13:03,133 --> 00:13:04,500
from the terminal, you're

424
00:13:04,500 --> 00:13:05,766
actually seeing the big fan

425
00:13:05,766 --> 00:13:07,000
section.

426
00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,166
There's two big spools of fan

427
00:13:10,166 --> 00:13:12,566
blades, there are a bunch of

428
00:13:12,566 --> 00:13:13,666
little fan blades that come out

429
00:13:13,666 --> 00:13:14,966
around.

430
00:13:14,966 --> 00:13:16,366
But if you were right up next to

431
00:13:16,366 --> 00:13:17,766
the engine and looking into it,

432
00:13:17,766 --> 00:13:19,466
you'd see a much smaller turbine

433
00:13:19,466 --> 00:13:21,100
and compressor section.

434
00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:23,066
And there's 17 spools of these

435
00:13:23,066 --> 00:13:26,733
little blades behind there.

436
00:13:26,733 --> 00:13:27,900
You can actually take a bird

437
00:13:27,900 --> 00:13:29,966
through the fan section and have

438
00:13:29,966 --> 00:13:31,066
maybe a little vibration, maybe

439
00:13:31,066 --> 00:13:32,400
nothing at all, and the engine

440
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,800
produces power.

441
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:36,066
But we took two of these big

442
00:13:36,066 --> 00:13:37,766
geese right through the turbine

443
00:13:37,766 --> 00:13:39,100
compressor section of both

444
00:13:39,100 --> 00:13:40,266
engines.

445
00:13:40,266 --> 00:13:41,300
And they just destroyed both

446
00:13:41,300 --> 00:13:43,666
engines.

447
00:13:43,666 --> 00:13:46,233
I remember that we heard the

448
00:13:46,233 --> 00:13:48,633
birds impact the airplane, and I

449
00:13:48,633 --> 00:13:50,466
remember thinking we have to

450
00:13:50,466 --> 00:13:52,966
assess what the damage was.

451
00:13:52,966 --> 00:13:54,500
And then after about a second

452
00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:56,633
both engines immediately

453
00:13:56,633 --> 00:13:58,466
cut power.

454
00:13:58,466 --> 00:14:00,433
They make a high whining sound

455
00:14:00,433 --> 00:14:01,933
at climb power, and they just

456
00:14:01,933 --> 00:14:04,500
reduced to nothing.

457
00:14:04,500 --> 00:14:06,133
I remember the shock of it felt

458
00:14:06,133 --> 00:14:08,300
like when you have a bad cold

459
00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:10,633
and your head is kind of fuzzy

460
00:14:10,633 --> 00:14:12,866
because it feels like your head

461
00:14:12,866 --> 00:14:15,200
is going to explode.

462
00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,800
We have our nose up in the air,

463
00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:19,633
we're at our minimum air speed

464
00:14:19,633 --> 00:14:21,366
for this particular clean wing

465
00:14:21,366 --> 00:14:23,433
situation with our flaps up, and

466
00:14:23,433 --> 00:14:24,966
we've just wiped all the power

467
00:14:24,966 --> 00:14:26,533
off the airplane.

468
00:14:26,533 --> 00:14:28,000
You could just feel the airplane

469
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:29,466
sag in the air.

470
00:14:29,466 --> 00:14:31,400
The air speed tape is unwinding.

471
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:32,833
I'm pushing the nose forward to

472
00:14:32,833 --> 00:14:35,533
try to keep the airplane flying,

473
00:14:35,533 --> 00:14:36,833
and Sully decides to take over

474
00:14:36,833 --> 00:14:38,666
the aircraft, actually flying

475
00:14:38,666 --> 00:14:39,900
the aircraft at this point,

476
00:14:39,900 --> 00:14:40,866
which is his prerogative

477
00:14:40,866 --> 00:14:42,333
as the captain, and he says,

478
00:14:42,333 --> 00:14:43,600
my aircraft.

479
00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,400
And I said, hey...

480
00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:47,766
[LAUGHTER]

481
00:14:47,766 --> 00:14:51,400
Your aircraft.

482
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:52,700
Don't let me stop you.

483
00:14:52,700 --> 00:14:55,133
[LAUGHTER]

484
00:14:55,133 --> 00:14:56,266
But this is actually

485
00:14:56,266 --> 00:14:58,033
a signal.

486
00:14:58,033 --> 00:14:59,433
We are very highly trained, and

487
00:14:59,433 --> 00:15:02,100
we can switch duties with even

488
00:15:02,100 --> 00:15:05,266
just a few words.

489
00:15:05,266 --> 00:15:06,833
Normally when we fly an airplane

490
00:15:06,833 --> 00:15:08,433
as airline pilots, we're

491
00:15:08,433 --> 00:15:09,300
constantly crosschecking each

492
00:15:09,300 --> 00:15:10,266
other.

493
00:15:10,266 --> 00:15:11,466
There's not any important

494
00:15:11,466 --> 00:15:12,633
modification that's made to our

495
00:15:12,633 --> 00:15:14,600
navigation systems, to changing

496
00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:16,600
altitude, to power settings

497
00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:18,233
without both pilots being

498
00:15:18,233 --> 00:15:20,000
involved and both pilots

499
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,166
agreeing on it happening.

500
00:15:22,166 --> 00:15:23,733
But when we have emergency

501
00:15:23,733 --> 00:15:24,866
situations, we know we have to

502
00:15:24,866 --> 00:15:26,400
split duties.

503
00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:28,133
One person flies the airplane;

504
00:15:28,133 --> 00:15:29,600
the other person handles the

505
00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,066
emergency.

506
00:15:31,066 --> 00:15:32,666
When Sully said, my aircraft,

507
00:15:32,666 --> 00:15:34,166
and I said, your aircraft,

508
00:15:34,166 --> 00:15:35,866
my role immediately changed

509
00:15:35,866 --> 00:15:37,533
to that of a troubleshooter.

510
00:15:37,533 --> 00:15:38,866
And I reached for what we call

511
00:15:38,866 --> 00:15:40,800
our quick reference handbook,

512
00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,266
which is a 177-page...

513
00:15:43,266 --> 00:15:45,266
[LAUGHTER]

514
00:15:45,266 --> 00:15:47,166
Book of emergency procedures

515
00:15:47,166 --> 00:15:49,066
and data.

516
00:15:49,066 --> 00:15:51,066
And I'm looking for the dual

517
00:15:51,066 --> 00:15:53,166
engine failure checklist.

518
00:15:53,166 --> 00:15:55,266
[LAUGHTER]

519
00:15:55,266 --> 00:15:56,900
When I find it,

520
00:15:56,900 --> 00:15:58,533
it's three pages long.

521
00:15:58,533 --> 00:16:00,300
It's designed to be done at

522
00:16:00,300 --> 00:16:02,200
30,000 feet in the air, not at

523
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:03,633
3,000 feet in three minutes

524
00:16:03,633 --> 00:16:05,300
time.

525
00:16:05,300 --> 00:16:07,100
The scenario it imagines is a

526
00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:09,166
fuel starvation or ingesting

527
00:16:09,166 --> 00:16:10,966
volcanic ash which destroys your

528
00:16:10,966 --> 00:16:13,400
engines, not ingesting two geese

529
00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:14,500
per engine that simply destroy

530
00:16:14,500 --> 00:16:16,966
them.

531
00:16:16,966 --> 00:16:18,566
But still, I start into the

532
00:16:18,566 --> 00:16:19,833
checklist making sure we have

533
00:16:19,833 --> 00:16:21,433
electrics and hydraulic power so

534
00:16:21,433 --> 00:16:22,633
that we can actually fly the

535
00:16:22,633 --> 00:16:24,466
airplane and trying to restart

536
00:16:24,466 --> 00:16:27,966
the engine.

537
00:16:27,966 --> 00:16:29,766
Now, back in the cabin, two of

538
00:16:29,766 --> 00:16:32,100
our flight attendants are

539
00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:36,066
sitting right behind the door of

540
00:16:36,066 --> 00:16:37,933
the cockpit facing backwards on

541
00:16:37,933 --> 00:16:39,566
a jump seat.

542
00:16:39,566 --> 00:16:40,833
They don't even have a window

543
00:16:40,833 --> 00:16:42,433
where they sit, and they know

544
00:16:42,433 --> 00:16:43,633
that something has gone horribly

545
00:16:43,633 --> 00:16:45,833
wrong with the airplane.

546
00:16:45,833 --> 00:16:47,566
They obviously have long

547
00:16:47,566 --> 00:16:51,366
experience in aviation.

548
00:16:51,366 --> 00:16:53,333
In fact, our three flight

549
00:16:53,333 --> 00:16:55,066
attendants averaged 30 years of

550
00:16:55,066 --> 00:16:58,733
experience a piece.

551
00:16:58,733 --> 00:17:00,200
But they knew something horrible

552
00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:01,833
was going wrong but they had

553
00:17:01,833 --> 00:17:03,533
no idea what it was.

554
00:17:03,533 --> 00:17:04,500
We didn't have the time to talk

555
00:17:04,500 --> 00:17:06,033
to them.

556
00:17:06,033 --> 00:17:07,833
In the cabin, our passengers

557
00:17:07,833 --> 00:17:08,833
have heard and in some cases

558
00:17:08,833 --> 00:17:10,033
seen the birds impacting the

559
00:17:10,033 --> 00:17:12,300
engines.

560
00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:14,533
There's flames shooting about

561
00:17:14,533 --> 00:17:17,400
50 feet out the back of the left

562
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,033
engine, but most of them thought

563
00:17:19,033 --> 00:17:20,466
we had an engine fire on that

564
00:17:20,466 --> 00:17:22,633
side which is scary enough but

565
00:17:22,633 --> 00:17:23,933
certainly we'll be returning to

566
00:17:23,933 --> 00:17:26,200
land on the engine on the right.

567
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:27,366
The right side engine was even

568
00:17:27,366 --> 00:17:29,366
more heavily damaged.

569
00:17:29,366 --> 00:17:31,366
The right side engine, the first

570
00:17:31,366 --> 00:17:34,266
spool of the compressor section

571
00:17:34,266 --> 00:17:35,900
shattered, and all that metal

572
00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:37,566
went back and just threw the

573
00:17:37,566 --> 00:17:39,200
engine and just destroyed it.

574
00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:40,800
The left engine was actually

575
00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:42,333
running at kind of an idle

576
00:17:42,333 --> 00:17:43,900
power.

577
00:17:43,900 --> 00:17:45,466
But the birds had managed to

578
00:17:45,466 --> 00:17:47,166
knock the fuel nozzles out of

579
00:17:47,166 --> 00:17:48,933
the burner cans, and the gas was

580
00:17:48,933 --> 00:17:50,600
igniting in the slip stream

581
00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:52,433
behind the engine like a torch

582
00:17:52,433 --> 00:17:54,333
out the back.

583
00:17:54,333 --> 00:17:55,866
But the important thing for us

584
00:17:55,866 --> 00:17:57,566
is it was running an alternator

585
00:17:57,566 --> 00:17:59,166
and a hydraulic pump because

586
00:17:59,166 --> 00:18:00,766
both of those things we need to

587
00:18:00,766 --> 00:18:03,033
fly.

588
00:18:03,033 --> 00:18:05,433
Up in the cockpit Sully's

589
00:18:05,433 --> 00:18:07,000
talking to the air traffic

590
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,500
controller about going back to

591
00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:10,800
LaGuardia.

592
00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:12,266
Now, I can't see it because it's

593
00:18:12,266 --> 00:18:13,833
over on his side of the

594
00:18:13,833 --> 00:18:15,366
airplanes and is actually behind

595
00:18:15,366 --> 00:18:16,866
his shoulder at this point.

596
00:18:16,866 --> 00:18:18,433
I can't make any judgment as to

597
00:18:18,433 --> 00:18:20,566
whether we can actually make it

598
00:18:20,566 --> 00:18:22,566
back to LaGuardia or not.

599
00:18:22,566 --> 00:18:24,566
Our only options for landing are

600
00:18:24,566 --> 00:18:26,700
to go back to the airport we

601
00:18:26,700 --> 00:18:28,533
left from, a little airport

602
00:18:28,533 --> 00:18:30,133
called Teterboro off on our

603
00:18:30,133 --> 00:18:31,766
right, or the Hudson River which

604
00:18:31,766 --> 00:18:33,600
is right ahead of us.

605
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:35,200
Otherwise, all we're looking at

606
00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,566
are highways, skyscrapers,

607
00:18:37,566 --> 00:18:39,333
houses.

608
00:18:39,333 --> 00:18:40,933
There's absolutely no place that

609
00:18:40,933 --> 00:18:42,466
you could set this airplane

610
00:18:42,466 --> 00:18:43,900
down.

611
00:18:43,900 --> 00:18:45,400
It's New York City, one of the

612
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,200
most congested places on Earth.

613
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:49,933
At one point, our air traffic

614
00:18:49,933 --> 00:18:51,733
controller, Patrick Harten,

615
00:18:51,733 --> 00:18:53,600
points out Teterboro, and I

616
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:55,233
remember pausing in what I was

617
00:18:55,233 --> 00:18:56,900
doing to look out and see if I

618
00:18:56,900 --> 00:18:59,266
could spot it.

619
00:18:59,266 --> 00:19:01,400
I saw it on the horizon, and

620
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,000
then I saw that it started to

621
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:05,233
rise in the windshield, which

622
00:19:05,233 --> 00:19:06,700
any pilot knows means you can't

623
00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:08,700
make it.

624
00:19:08,700 --> 00:19:11,400
Really our only option was to

625
00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,600
land the airplane

626
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,066
in the Hudson River.

627
00:19:17,066 --> 00:19:18,800
Now, what I remember most about

628
00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:20,700
that descent was all the noise

629
00:19:20,700 --> 00:19:22,700
in the cockpit.

630
00:19:22,700 --> 00:19:24,133
We have all manner of oral

631
00:19:24,133 --> 00:19:26,066
alerts that warn us of various

632
00:19:26,066 --> 00:19:27,633
things.

633
00:19:27,633 --> 00:19:29,466
And a number of them are going

634
00:19:29,466 --> 00:19:31,500
off simultaneously.

635
00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:33,033
We went too close to a

636
00:19:33,033 --> 00:19:35,000
helicopter that was coming up

637
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,600
the VFR Corridor

638
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,166
up the Hudson River, and we're

639
00:19:38,166 --> 00:19:40,166
getting a "traffic, traffic"

640
00:19:40,166 --> 00:19:42,700
call out over our speakers.

641
00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:44,600
Because we had no power on and

642
00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:45,933
we're down low to the ground,

643
00:19:45,933 --> 00:19:47,266
we're getting an audible

644
00:19:47,266 --> 00:19:48,266
call out of "too low gear,"

645
00:19:48,266 --> 00:19:49,833
"too low flap."

646
00:19:49,833 --> 00:19:51,133
Our alert bell is sounding

647
00:19:51,133 --> 00:19:52,300
continuously with this

648
00:19:52,300 --> 00:19:53,966
ding-ding-ding-ding-ding sound

649
00:19:53,966 --> 00:19:56,000
as these cascading failures are

650
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,233
overwhelming the monitoring

651
00:19:57,233 --> 00:20:00,900
systems in the airplane.

652
00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:03,233
Through all this noise, Sully

653
00:20:03,233 --> 00:20:04,533
had the presence of mind to

654
00:20:04,533 --> 00:20:06,233
reach back and grab the public

655
00:20:06,233 --> 00:20:08,933
address telephone, which sits

656
00:20:08,933 --> 00:20:10,500
between us at the back of the

657
00:20:10,500 --> 00:20:12,066
console and looks just like an

658
00:20:12,066 --> 00:20:14,533
old style telephone receiver.

659
00:20:14,533 --> 00:20:17,033
And he presses the button on the

660
00:20:17,033 --> 00:20:18,466
public address system and says,

661
00:20:18,466 --> 00:20:19,800
"This is the captain,

662
00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,800
brace for impact."

663
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,066
Now, that's actually a sign.

664
00:20:25,066 --> 00:20:26,733
It tells the passengers

665
00:20:26,733 --> 00:20:27,733
obviously things aren't going

666
00:20:27,733 --> 00:20:29,400
well.

667
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,833
[LAUGHTER]

668
00:20:31,833 --> 00:20:33,433
But it's a signal to the flight

669
00:20:33,433 --> 00:20:35,266
attendants to start into their

670
00:20:35,266 --> 00:20:36,866
emergency preparedness training,

671
00:20:36,866 --> 00:20:38,033
that they have trained for.

672
00:20:38,033 --> 00:20:38,966
They start chanting,

673
00:20:38,966 --> 00:20:40,500
"Brace, brace, heads down,

674
00:20:40,500 --> 00:20:41,766
stay down, brace, brace,

675
00:20:41,766 --> 00:20:43,066
heads down, stay down,"

676
00:20:43,066 --> 00:20:45,033
over and over and over again

677
00:20:45,033 --> 00:20:45,966
to get the passengers

678
00:20:45,966 --> 00:20:47,533
into the proper position

679
00:20:47,533 --> 00:20:51,400
for a crash landing.

680
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,333
Now with this, the passengers

681
00:20:54,333 --> 00:20:56,033
know that they're not going to

682
00:20:56,033 --> 00:20:57,533
be returning to an airport to

683
00:20:57,533 --> 00:20:59,100
land.

684
00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:00,933
And they handled it in a number

685
00:21:00,933 --> 00:21:03,433
of ways.

686
00:21:03,433 --> 00:21:05,566
Some of them wrote notes to

687
00:21:05,566 --> 00:21:06,933
leave behind, to leave in their

688
00:21:06,933 --> 00:21:09,266
shirt pockets.

689
00:21:09,266 --> 00:21:11,100
A large number of them texted

690
00:21:11,100 --> 00:21:13,900
loved ones on the phones that

691
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:15,766
were supposed to be shut down...

692
00:21:15,766 --> 00:21:17,566
[LAUGHTER]

693
00:21:17,566 --> 00:21:22,566
When they left the gate.

694
00:21:22,566 --> 00:21:24,733
One passenger showed me his text

695
00:21:24,733 --> 00:21:27,766
at the year anniversary

696
00:21:27,766 --> 00:21:29,400
of the event.

697
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:30,566
It was still on his phone.

698
00:21:30,566 --> 00:21:31,800
It said,

699
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,033
"The plane's going down.

700
00:21:33,033 --> 00:21:34,333
I'll always love you,

701
00:21:34,333 --> 00:21:37,733
say goodbye to the kids."

702
00:21:37,733 --> 00:21:40,666
One passenger, who I just saw

703
00:21:40,666 --> 00:21:42,633
yesterday actually,

704
00:21:42,633 --> 00:21:44,400
had had two days of bad luck.

705
00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,900
Just the day before,

706
00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:48,200
his wife had been diagnosed

707
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,000
with breast cancer.

708
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,033
And he's a spiritual man so of

709
00:21:53,033 --> 00:21:56,266
course he made a pact with God.

710
00:21:56,266 --> 00:21:59,033
And he said, God, if you have to

711
00:21:59,033 --> 00:22:04,433
take someone, please take me.

712
00:22:04,433 --> 00:22:05,833
So here it is, less than 24

713
00:22:05,833 --> 00:22:08,166
hours later, and he's plummeting

714
00:22:08,166 --> 00:22:09,733
to the Earth in this engineless

715
00:22:09,733 --> 00:22:12,133
aircraft, he doesn't know what

716
00:22:12,133 --> 00:22:13,800
the next few moments of his life

717
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,333
are going to hold, and he told

718
00:22:16,333 --> 00:22:17,666
me all he could think about was,

719
00:22:17,666 --> 00:22:20,366
God, I know we made this pact

720
00:22:20,366 --> 00:22:22,233
and all...

721
00:22:22,233 --> 00:22:24,233
[LAUGHTER]

722
00:22:24,233 --> 00:22:25,966
But did it really have to be

723
00:22:25,966 --> 00:22:27,766
so soon?

724
00:22:27,766 --> 00:22:32,066
[LAUGHTER]

725
00:22:32,066 --> 00:22:33,266
Up in the cockpit,

726
00:22:33,266 --> 00:22:34,366
we're coming down through about

727
00:22:34,366 --> 00:22:35,533
a thousand feet in the air.

728
00:22:35,533 --> 00:22:36,666
We're not going to be able to

729
00:22:36,666 --> 00:22:37,800
get the engines started.

730
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:38,866
Even if they lit off, they

731
00:22:38,866 --> 00:22:40,900
wouldn't spool up in time for us

732
00:22:40,900 --> 00:22:44,033
to avert landing in the river.

733
00:22:44,033 --> 00:22:45,333
I started calling out air speeds

734
00:22:45,333 --> 00:22:46,800
and altitudes to Sully to give

735
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,400
him situational awareness.

736
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:51,566
He has to land with the wings

737
00:22:51,566 --> 00:22:53,466
perfectly level to keep from

738
00:22:53,466 --> 00:22:55,633
dragging a wing tip and possibly

739
00:22:55,633 --> 00:22:58,833
cartwheeling the airplane.

740
00:22:58,833 --> 00:23:01,166
But one of the very fortunate

741
00:23:01,166 --> 00:23:02,800
things that day,

742
00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:03,966
and I'll tell people

743
00:23:03,966 --> 00:23:05,233
we had one moment of bad luck

744
00:23:05,233 --> 00:23:06,300
and a thousand moments

745
00:23:06,300 --> 00:23:07,566
of good luck,

746
00:23:07,566 --> 00:23:09,033
but one of the very

747
00:23:09,033 --> 00:23:10,366
fortunate things was that the

748
00:23:10,366 --> 00:23:12,633
river ahead of us was clear.

749
00:23:12,633 --> 00:23:14,700
For anybody who's ever been in

750
00:23:14,700 --> 00:23:16,166
New York, it's a very heavily

751
00:23:16,166 --> 00:23:19,600
trafficked waterway.

752
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:21,700
And most New Yorkers are just

753
00:23:21,700 --> 00:23:23,133
surprised we found any place to

754
00:23:23,133 --> 00:23:24,566
set down an airplane in that

755
00:23:24,566 --> 00:23:26,266
river.

756
00:23:26,266 --> 00:23:28,266
But it was clear.

757
00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:30,500
And there wasn't any wind that

758
00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:32,000
day so there were no swells.

759
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,300
They can actually get swells,

760
00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:34,366
three-foot swells,

761
00:23:34,366 --> 00:23:37,500
in the Hudson River.

762
00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:39,933
I remember this odd feeling

763
00:23:39,933 --> 00:23:42,566
as we came down close, as the

764
00:23:42,566 --> 00:23:44,766
skyscrapers and buildings were

765
00:23:44,766 --> 00:23:46,500
rising off of both our left

766
00:23:46,500 --> 00:23:47,700
on Manhattan

767
00:23:47,700 --> 00:23:53,000
and off the right in New Jersey.

768
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,466
When you survive an airline

769
00:23:56,466 --> 00:23:58,966
accident, one thing it gives you

770
00:23:58,966 --> 00:24:00,633
the opportunity to do is listen

771
00:24:00,633 --> 00:24:02,433
to your own crash on the cockpit

772
00:24:02,433 --> 00:24:04,433
voice recorder, which is quite

773
00:24:04,433 --> 00:24:05,800
an emotional experience,

774
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,400
let me tell ya.

775
00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:09,833
The only people who ever get to

776
00:24:09,833 --> 00:24:11,766
hear the cockpit voice recorder

777
00:24:11,766 --> 00:24:14,066
are the five people that are

778
00:24:14,066 --> 00:24:15,400
on the National Transportation

779
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,333
Safety Board Cockpit

780
00:24:17,333 --> 00:24:19,000
Voice Recorder Committee

781
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,800
who listen to it and,

782
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,000
in our case, survivors, because

783
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,533
the National Transportation

784
00:24:25,533 --> 00:24:27,133
Safety Board, who investigates

785
00:24:27,133 --> 00:24:28,833
accidents in this country,

786
00:24:28,833 --> 00:24:30,800
didn't understand how we

787
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,866
communicated, because there

788
00:24:32,866 --> 00:24:34,666
are points at which we each took

789
00:24:34,666 --> 00:24:38,733
action and we communicated,

790
00:24:38,733 --> 00:24:40,833
but we didn't say anything.

791
00:24:40,833 --> 00:24:42,233
And they didn't understand how

792
00:24:42,233 --> 00:24:43,800
that happened, and they wanted

793
00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,633
us to listen to the tape

794
00:24:45,633 --> 00:24:47,533
and give them some answers.

795
00:24:47,533 --> 00:24:48,700
And I could tell you,

796
00:24:48,700 --> 00:24:50,000
I don't have any answers.

797
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:51,433
Neither does Sully.

798
00:24:51,433 --> 00:24:53,866
All I know is that I was doing

799
00:24:53,866 --> 00:24:56,100
my task, but I was completely

800
00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:58,133
aware of everything

801
00:24:58,133 --> 00:25:00,633
that was going on around me.

802
00:25:00,633 --> 00:25:02,166
I knew what Sully was

803
00:25:02,166 --> 00:25:04,100
thinking every step of the way,

804
00:25:04,100 --> 00:25:06,233
and he knew the same of me.

805
00:25:06,233 --> 00:25:07,500
Other than that,

806
00:25:07,500 --> 00:25:08,566
I have no explanation.

807
00:25:08,566 --> 00:25:10,066
We really didn't speak

808
00:25:10,066 --> 00:25:12,466
as we were coming down to land

809
00:25:12,466 --> 00:25:13,833
on the Hudson River.

810
00:25:13,833 --> 00:25:15,133
There was no verbal

811
00:25:15,133 --> 00:25:16,833
communication.

812
00:25:16,833 --> 00:25:18,600
But as we listened to that

813
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,900
cockpit voice recorder,

814
00:25:20,900 --> 00:25:22,400
we both heard something

815
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:23,633
that neither of us remembered

816
00:25:23,633 --> 00:25:26,133
at all from the day.

817
00:25:26,133 --> 00:25:27,533
Right before we touched down

818
00:25:27,533 --> 00:25:30,833
in the water, Sully asked me,

819
00:25:30,833 --> 00:25:33,566
"You got any other ideas?"

820
00:25:33,566 --> 00:25:36,966
[LAUGHTER]

821
00:25:36,966 --> 00:25:40,166
I said, "Actually, no."

822
00:25:40,166 --> 00:25:42,800
[LAUGHTER]

823
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,433
We hit hard on the tail, and

824
00:25:45,433 --> 00:25:46,833
then the water just seemed to

825
00:25:46,833 --> 00:25:48,300
flow over the windshield.

826
00:25:48,300 --> 00:25:49,500
It seemed like it was burying

827
00:25:49,500 --> 00:25:51,133
the nose of the airplane

828
00:25:51,133 --> 00:25:53,566
into the river.

829
00:25:53,566 --> 00:25:55,533
But then it popped up, and it

830
00:25:55,533 --> 00:25:58,100
was just bobbing in the waves.

831
00:25:58,100 --> 00:26:01,066
I turned to Sully and I said,

832
00:26:01,066 --> 00:26:02,700
"Well, that wasn't so bad."

833
00:26:02,700 --> 00:26:04,866
[LAUGHTER]

834
00:26:04,866 --> 00:26:06,700
But we've lost all our

835
00:26:06,700 --> 00:26:08,933
electrical power.

836
00:26:08,933 --> 00:26:10,733
And the flight attendants

837
00:26:10,733 --> 00:26:12,466
are waiting for two words

838
00:26:12,466 --> 00:26:13,533
from Sully.

839
00:26:13,533 --> 00:26:14,633
They're waiting for him to say,

840
00:26:14,633 --> 00:26:15,933
"Evacuate, evacuate,"

841
00:26:15,933 --> 00:26:16,966
and our public address system

842
00:26:16,966 --> 00:26:18,300
doesn't work.

843
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:20,233
So Sully went back to the cabin

844
00:26:20,233 --> 00:26:22,300
to give that command

845
00:26:22,300 --> 00:26:23,433
so that the flight attendants

846
00:26:23,433 --> 00:26:24,933
could independently start their

847
00:26:24,933 --> 00:26:26,966
evacuation procedure.

848
00:26:26,966 --> 00:26:28,700
I stayed up in the cockpit,

849
00:26:28,700 --> 00:26:30,000
because we actually have

850
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,000
a procedure for this, an

851
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,033
emergency evacuation checklist.

852
00:26:34,033 --> 00:26:35,233
The first item on it is

853
00:26:35,233 --> 00:26:36,933
"parking break set."

854
00:26:36,933 --> 00:26:39,933
[LAUGHTER]

855
00:26:43,433 --> 00:26:44,466
The second item is

856
00:26:44,466 --> 00:26:45,966
"engines one and two off."

857
00:26:45,966 --> 00:26:47,333
Well..

858
00:26:47,333 --> 00:26:48,366
[LAUGHTER]

859
00:26:48,366 --> 00:26:49,200
The left one isn't even attached

860
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:50,800
to the airplane anymore.

861
00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:52,133
It's going to the bottom

862
00:26:52,133 --> 00:26:53,166
of the river.

863
00:26:53,166 --> 00:26:54,400
Certainly the right one

864
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:55,566
is shut down.

865
00:26:55,566 --> 00:26:57,233
So I kind of went through this.

866
00:26:57,233 --> 00:26:59,266
None of these tasks were really

867
00:26:59,266 --> 00:27:02,200
applicable to the situation.

868
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:03,633
And probably about 45 seconds

869
00:27:03,633 --> 00:27:06,266
went by, and I went back,

870
00:27:06,266 --> 00:27:07,700
and I'm standing in that

871
00:27:07,700 --> 00:27:09,033
little hallway between

872
00:27:09,033 --> 00:27:13,300
the cockpit and the cabin

873
00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:15,400
and we had the rafts open.

874
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,033
About the first 10 rows or so

875
00:27:17,033 --> 00:27:19,100
of the airplane are already

876
00:27:19,100 --> 00:27:21,066
out on the rafts.

877
00:27:21,066 --> 00:27:24,066
They're empty of passengers.

878
00:27:24,066 --> 00:27:25,833
And I'm stopped short because

879
00:27:25,833 --> 00:27:27,433
running up towards me up the

880
00:27:27,433 --> 00:27:29,400
aisle is a guy who looks like

881
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,033
he's about 25 years old,

882
00:27:31,033 --> 00:27:32,366
and he's wearing

883
00:27:32,366 --> 00:27:33,566
nothing but boxer shorts

884
00:27:33,566 --> 00:27:36,066
and a pair of sweat socks.

885
00:27:36,066 --> 00:27:37,533
[LAUGHTER]

886
00:27:37,533 --> 00:27:40,066
Keep in mind, it's 20 degrees.

887
00:27:40,066 --> 00:27:41,733
It's January.

888
00:27:41,733 --> 00:27:43,100
I'm pretty sure he didn't get on

889
00:27:43,100 --> 00:27:44,533
the airplane that way.

890
00:27:44,533 --> 00:27:47,166
[LAUGHTER]

891
00:27:47,166 --> 00:27:48,533
I found out later that he

892
00:27:48,533 --> 00:27:50,933
planned to swim to shore.

893
00:27:50,933 --> 00:27:53,033
So he took off most of his

894
00:27:53,033 --> 00:27:54,366
clothes back there in the cabin

895
00:27:54,366 --> 00:27:56,333
somewhere.

896
00:27:56,333 --> 00:27:58,100
But he's already realized

897
00:27:58,100 --> 00:27:59,433
what a bad idea this is

898
00:27:59,433 --> 00:28:00,400
because he's freezing.

899
00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:01,733
[LAUGHTER]

900
00:28:01,733 --> 00:28:03,100
So he stops short before me

901
00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:04,533
and he's hugging himself,

902
00:28:04,533 --> 00:28:05,466
and he's shivering and he says,

903
00:28:05,466 --> 00:28:06,400
"What do I do?"

904
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:07,933
And I said, go get in the raft.

905
00:28:07,933 --> 00:28:09,466
[LAUGHTER]

906
00:28:09,466 --> 00:28:10,666
I told the next three people,

907
00:28:10,666 --> 00:28:11,866
could you go sit on that guy

908
00:28:11,866 --> 00:28:13,100
to keep him warm?

909
00:28:13,100 --> 00:28:15,333
[LAUGHTER]

910
00:28:15,333 --> 00:28:16,566
Now, the airplane had hit

911
00:28:16,566 --> 00:28:17,733
pretty hard on the tail and

912
00:28:17,733 --> 00:28:19,100
actually did a lot of damage

913
00:28:19,100 --> 00:28:20,333
in the back.

914
00:28:20,333 --> 00:28:22,433
It pushed the rear baggage hold

915
00:28:22,433 --> 00:28:25,133
up into the rear galley and

916
00:28:25,133 --> 00:28:26,733
compromised the structure

917
00:28:26,733 --> 00:28:28,133
back there, which is why it was

918
00:28:28,133 --> 00:28:29,566
sitting so tail-low and we

919
00:28:29,566 --> 00:28:31,466
couldn't use the rafts that were

920
00:28:31,466 --> 00:28:34,000
in the rear of the airplane.

921
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,900
So the passengers had no choice

922
00:28:35,900 --> 00:28:38,533
but to go out onto the wings.

923
00:28:38,533 --> 00:28:39,800
It was the only place open

924
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:41,566
to them to get away from the

925
00:28:41,566 --> 00:28:43,566
airplane.

926
00:28:43,566 --> 00:28:45,800
Our flight attendant,

927
00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,233
Doreen Welsh, was sitting

928
00:28:48,233 --> 00:28:49,366
in her jump seat

929
00:28:49,366 --> 00:28:50,966
in the back of the airplane

930
00:28:50,966 --> 00:28:52,133
when some of the structure from

931
00:28:52,133 --> 00:28:53,500
that baggage hold, specifically

932
00:28:53,500 --> 00:28:54,966
an I-beam, came shooting through

933
00:28:54,966 --> 00:28:56,133
the floor and went right into

934
00:28:56,133 --> 00:28:58,166
her calf.

935
00:28:58,166 --> 00:29:00,300
Her leg is spurting blood, but

936
00:29:00,300 --> 00:29:01,466
she doesn't realize it yet.

937
00:29:01,466 --> 00:29:03,333
She's in shock.

938
00:29:03,333 --> 00:29:05,166
The people ran to the back of

939
00:29:05,166 --> 00:29:06,533
the airplane where some of them

940
00:29:06,533 --> 00:29:07,433
reported that the water was up

941
00:29:07,433 --> 00:29:09,400
to their necks.

942
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:10,633
But she somehow got them

943
00:29:10,633 --> 00:29:12,233
headed back forward

944
00:29:12,233 --> 00:29:15,300
over the emergency exit hatches

945
00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:17,366
over the wings.

946
00:29:17,366 --> 00:29:20,166
The people got off the airplane

947
00:29:20,166 --> 00:29:22,400
relatively fast.

948
00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,233
They were enthusiastic about...

949
00:29:24,233 --> 00:29:26,366
[LAUGHTER]

950
00:29:26,366 --> 00:29:29,133
Getting off that airplane.

951
00:29:29,133 --> 00:29:31,233
And after they were off, Sully

952
00:29:31,233 --> 00:29:32,400
and I went back to about

953
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:33,733
mid-cabin because the people on

954
00:29:33,733 --> 00:29:35,333
the wings had left without

955
00:29:35,333 --> 00:29:37,933
taking floatation devices.

956
00:29:37,933 --> 00:29:40,766
The aircraft had life vests.

957
00:29:40,766 --> 00:29:42,133
In fact, life vests hang in

958
00:29:42,133 --> 00:29:44,266
pouches below the seats of the

959
00:29:44,266 --> 00:29:46,166
airplanes, but you would have to

960
00:29:46,166 --> 00:29:47,466
read the boarding card

961
00:29:47,466 --> 00:29:49,433
pretty closely to see that.

962
00:29:49,433 --> 00:29:50,733
And of course the seat cushions

963
00:29:50,733 --> 00:29:53,866
are also floatation devices.

964
00:29:53,866 --> 00:29:55,400
So we were getting floatation

965
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,166
devices, seat cushions and

966
00:29:57,166 --> 00:29:58,333
life vests, and handing them out

967
00:29:58,333 --> 00:30:00,466
to the people on the wings.

968
00:30:00,466 --> 00:30:02,200
Now, where we were, the water

969
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,700
was about up to our knees,

970
00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:07,533
and it was just freezing cold.

971
00:30:07,533 --> 00:30:10,066
It was literally ice water.

972
00:30:10,066 --> 00:30:12,433
And your bones just ached

973
00:30:12,433 --> 00:30:15,033
being in that water.

974
00:30:15,033 --> 00:30:16,400
Both Sully and I started walking

975
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:17,733
on the seats and on the armrests

976
00:30:17,733 --> 00:30:19,533
just to keep our legs out of the

977
00:30:19,533 --> 00:30:21,300
water, but you still had to

978
00:30:21,300 --> 00:30:23,466
reach down underneath the seats

979
00:30:23,466 --> 00:30:25,033
with your hands

980
00:30:25,033 --> 00:30:27,833
to get those life vests.

981
00:30:27,833 --> 00:30:29,033
We did that and we pretty much

982
00:30:29,033 --> 00:30:30,733
cleared out the area around the

983
00:30:30,733 --> 00:30:33,233
center of the airplane.

984
00:30:33,233 --> 00:30:34,966
It was settling down in the

985
00:30:34,966 --> 00:30:36,900
water while I was in there.

986
00:30:36,900 --> 00:30:38,600
You could tell that.

987
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,100
But I was never actually

988
00:30:41,100 --> 00:30:42,333
concerned at all for my own

989
00:30:42,333 --> 00:30:46,233
safety, because I thought if

990
00:30:46,233 --> 00:30:48,333
it actually started to sink

991
00:30:48,333 --> 00:30:49,500
I could probably run for it and

992
00:30:49,500 --> 00:30:50,666
get out one of those emergency

993
00:30:50,666 --> 00:30:51,633
exit hatches.

994
00:30:51,633 --> 00:30:52,700
I was never more than about

995
00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:54,066
20 feet away from it.

996
00:30:54,066 --> 00:30:56,600
So I wasn't concerned at all.

997
00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:58,600
But after a while, we cleared

998
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,200
out the area of floatation

999
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:01,300
devices and life vests and Sully

1000
00:31:01,300 --> 00:31:04,466
says, "Let's get out of here."

1001
00:31:04,466 --> 00:31:06,133
So we went back forward and went

1002
00:31:06,133 --> 00:31:08,333
out the normal boarding door,

1003
00:31:08,333 --> 00:31:09,500
the way you would get on the

1004
00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:11,600
airplane.

1005
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:13,266
Now, I remember this odd

1006
00:31:13,266 --> 00:31:14,400
feeling, because in the cabin

1007
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,366
it was calm.

1008
00:31:16,366 --> 00:31:17,966
It was just Sully and I in there

1009
00:31:17,966 --> 00:31:19,333
and we were working and we

1010
00:31:19,333 --> 00:31:20,866
really didn't know what was

1011
00:31:20,866 --> 00:31:23,600
going on outside the airplane.

1012
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:25,033
Because of where we happened

1013
00:31:25,033 --> 00:31:26,600
to come to rest, which was right

1014
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,333
where the ferry boats crossed

1015
00:31:28,333 --> 00:31:30,200
from Manhattan to New Jersey,

1016
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:31,966
the boats were on shore and all

1017
00:31:31,966 --> 00:31:33,366
they had to do was castoff their

1018
00:31:33,366 --> 00:31:34,433
lines and come out and they were

1019
00:31:34,433 --> 00:31:36,533
already there.

1020
00:31:36,533 --> 00:31:37,966
The airplane

1021
00:31:37,966 --> 00:31:40,533
was surrounded by boats.

1022
00:31:40,533 --> 00:31:42,600
And there was a helicopter

1023
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:43,800
overhead that was dropping a

1024
00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:45,533
police frogman into the water

1025
00:31:45,533 --> 00:31:47,033
to help the passengers who had

1026
00:31:47,033 --> 00:31:49,066
slipped off the wings into the

1027
00:31:49,066 --> 00:31:50,766
water, help them back onto the

1028
00:31:50,766 --> 00:31:52,433
wings.

1029
00:31:52,433 --> 00:31:53,833
I remember the helicopter was

1030
00:31:53,833 --> 00:31:56,033
just kicking up spray, and it

1031
00:31:56,033 --> 00:31:58,833
was just drenching everybody.

1032
00:31:58,833 --> 00:32:02,933
I became obsessed with the fact

1033
00:32:02,933 --> 00:32:04,466
that this raft is tethered to

1034
00:32:04,466 --> 00:32:06,633
the plane.

1035
00:32:06,633 --> 00:32:07,733
If the plane's going to sink,

1036
00:32:07,733 --> 00:32:09,400
it's going to take our raft

1037
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,333
with it.

1038
00:32:11,333 --> 00:32:12,933
So there's actually a safety

1039
00:32:12,933 --> 00:32:14,600
knife in this raft specifically

1040
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:16,266
for this, to cut this tether,

1041
00:32:16,266 --> 00:32:18,033
but we had about 70 people on

1042
00:32:18,033 --> 00:32:20,400
a raft that was designed for 40.

1043
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:21,633
And there was no way I was going

1044
00:32:21,633 --> 00:32:24,166
to be able to find this knife.

1045
00:32:24,166 --> 00:32:25,533
We were packed into this raft

1046
00:32:25,533 --> 00:32:27,433
like sardines.

1047
00:32:27,433 --> 00:32:28,933
Sully called up to one of the

1048
00:32:28,933 --> 00:32:31,133
boats overhead and asked

1049
00:32:31,133 --> 00:32:33,066
if anybody had a knife.

1050
00:32:33,066 --> 00:32:34,333
And this guy throws down a knife

1051
00:32:34,333 --> 00:32:36,166
and Sully hands it to me.

1052
00:32:36,166 --> 00:32:37,766
I press the clasp,

1053
00:32:37,766 --> 00:32:39,133
it was a clasp knife, and

1054
00:32:39,133 --> 00:32:40,366
the blade comes shooting out.

1055
00:32:40,366 --> 00:32:41,366
It's like a New Jersey

1056
00:32:41,366 --> 00:32:42,633
switchblade.

1057
00:32:42,633 --> 00:32:44,666
[LAUGHTER]

1058
00:32:44,666 --> 00:32:46,233
I cut the rope, and then

1059
00:32:46,233 --> 00:32:48,466
I'm holding the knife

1060
00:32:48,466 --> 00:32:50,333
in an inflatable raft.

1061
00:32:50,333 --> 00:32:52,766
[LAUGHTER]

1062
00:32:52,766 --> 00:32:55,000
The significance hasn't escaped

1063
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,500
me, but of course it's a nice

1064
00:32:56,500 --> 00:32:57,633
knife, you want to give the guy

1065
00:32:57,633 --> 00:32:59,333
his knife back, right?

1066
00:32:59,333 --> 00:33:00,733
Well, after a while I thought

1067
00:33:00,733 --> 00:33:01,800
this is just too dangerous

1068
00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,300
and I threw it in the river.

1069
00:33:05,300 --> 00:33:07,900
We floated around the nose of

1070
00:33:07,900 --> 00:33:10,033
the aircraft and one of the

1071
00:33:10,033 --> 00:33:12,000
New York waterway ferries

1072
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,566
comes up next to us.

1073
00:33:13,566 --> 00:33:15,633
The Athena was the boat.

1074
00:33:15,633 --> 00:33:18,066
And the captain reverses

1075
00:33:18,066 --> 00:33:19,800
his engines and comes to a stop

1076
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:21,800
right next to our raft.

1077
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,233
And of course we're sitting down

1078
00:33:24,233 --> 00:33:25,966
on the water, and the deck

1079
00:33:25,966 --> 00:33:28,400
on this boat is up about six,

1080
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:29,966
seven feet in the air.

1081
00:33:29,966 --> 00:33:31,900
Just another obstacle.

1082
00:33:31,900 --> 00:33:33,400
How are we going to get up

1083
00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,733
there?

1084
00:33:35,733 --> 00:33:37,500
Well, a crewman runs out from

1085
00:33:37,500 --> 00:33:38,900
the cabin and he throws a

1086
00:33:38,900 --> 00:33:41,500
boarding net over the side.

1087
00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:42,566
And I remember looking at this

1088
00:33:42,566 --> 00:33:43,833
boarding net and thinking,

1089
00:33:43,833 --> 00:33:45,200
what is it, D-Day?

1090
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:46,200
[LAUGHTER]

1091
00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:47,600
We're supposed to climb up

1092
00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:48,733
this?

1093
00:33:48,733 --> 00:33:49,766
My hands are frozen.

1094
00:33:49,766 --> 00:33:51,300
I can't grip anything.

1095
00:33:51,300 --> 00:33:52,900
And then he throws a rope over

1096
00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:54,366
the side at me, and I'm

1097
00:33:54,366 --> 00:33:55,966
supposed to keep hold the raft

1098
00:33:55,966 --> 00:33:57,966
next to the boat.

1099
00:33:57,966 --> 00:33:59,500
I remember I held it in my elbow

1100
00:33:59,500 --> 00:34:00,600
because I couldn't grip my

1101
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:01,800
hands.

1102
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:03,000
They were just frozen.

1103
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,866
I held it in my elbow and I'm

1104
00:34:04,866 --> 00:34:07,366
just leaning up against the side

1105
00:34:07,366 --> 00:34:08,566
of the boat, sitting on the edge

1106
00:34:08,566 --> 00:34:09,733
of the raft while the passengers

1107
00:34:09,733 --> 00:34:11,500
started to go up the boarding

1108
00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:12,866
net with crew members

1109
00:34:12,866 --> 00:34:17,733
helping them onto the deck.

1110
00:34:17,733 --> 00:34:19,266
It seemed like I must have,

1111
00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:21,066
I don't know, lost track of time

1112
00:34:21,066 --> 00:34:22,733
or blacked out there, because it

1113
00:34:22,733 --> 00:34:24,100
seemed like the passengers had

1114
00:34:24,100 --> 00:34:27,366
just started going up and then

1115
00:34:27,366 --> 00:34:29,866
the next moment that I recall

1116
00:34:29,866 --> 00:34:31,300
I hear Sully behind me say,

1117
00:34:31,300 --> 00:34:32,800
"Jeff, we better get out of here

1118
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,500
while we still can."

1119
00:34:35,500 --> 00:34:36,633
I looked behind me,

1120
00:34:36,633 --> 00:34:37,966
and the raft was empty

1121
00:34:37,966 --> 00:34:40,166
except for Sully and I.

1122
00:34:40,166 --> 00:34:41,433
So we clamored up onto the boat

1123
00:34:41,433 --> 00:34:43,966
as best we could, and

1124
00:34:43,966 --> 00:34:45,466
I ended up on my hands and knees

1125
00:34:45,466 --> 00:34:47,500
on the deck.

1126
00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:48,966
I got up, walked into the heated

1127
00:34:48,966 --> 00:34:51,100
cabin area, and there was

1128
00:34:51,100 --> 00:34:53,300
a passenger there

1129
00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:55,233
right in front of the door.

1130
00:34:55,233 --> 00:34:56,466
He had one of those flip phones,

1131
00:34:56,466 --> 00:34:57,600
and he just called somebody

1132
00:34:57,600 --> 00:34:58,733
and he flipped it shut.

1133
00:34:58,733 --> 00:35:00,433
He looks at it,

1134
00:35:00,433 --> 00:35:02,300
and then he offers it to me.

1135
00:35:02,300 --> 00:35:04,200
And I thought, well,

1136
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,233
maybe I should call somebody.

1137
00:35:06,233 --> 00:35:08,233
[LAUGHTER]

1138
00:35:08,233 --> 00:35:10,400
But who should I call?

1139
00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:11,900
I'll call my wife.

1140
00:35:11,900 --> 00:35:13,733
[LAUGHTER]

1141
00:35:13,733 --> 00:35:15,266
Guys, learn from me,

1142
00:35:15,266 --> 00:35:17,233
that's a bad move.

1143
00:35:17,233 --> 00:35:19,666
[LAUGHTER]

1144
00:35:19,666 --> 00:35:21,433
So I dial the number,

1145
00:35:21,433 --> 00:35:23,200
a do it with my knuckle.

1146
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:25,133
It takes me about three tries

1147
00:35:25,133 --> 00:35:26,466
and I get it right.

1148
00:35:26,466 --> 00:35:27,700
I've got the phone up to my ear,

1149
00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:29,266
I'm staring out the window,

1150
00:35:29,266 --> 00:35:31,733
the plane is still floating by

1151
00:35:31,733 --> 00:35:33,566
at this point.

1152
00:35:33,566 --> 00:35:35,866
She answers and I said,

1153
00:35:35,866 --> 00:35:37,266
"I don't think I'm going to be

1154
00:35:37,266 --> 00:35:38,966
home tonight."

1155
00:35:38,966 --> 00:35:39,833
[LAUGHTER]

1156
00:35:39,833 --> 00:35:41,500
And she says, "Why?"

1157
00:35:41,500 --> 00:35:42,966
And I said, "Well,

1158
00:35:42,966 --> 00:35:45,066
we took off in LaGuardia.

1159
00:35:45,066 --> 00:35:46,733
We hit birds.

1160
00:35:46,733 --> 00:35:48,266
We flamed out both engines.

1161
00:35:48,266 --> 00:35:49,266
We had to ditch the airplane

1162
00:35:49,266 --> 00:35:50,233
in the Hudson, and we think

1163
00:35:50,233 --> 00:35:51,500
we got everybody out okay,

1164
00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:53,333
I gotta go."

1165
00:35:53,333 --> 00:35:55,800
[LAUGHTER]

1166
00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:57,266
And I hung up.

1167
00:35:57,266 --> 00:36:01,166
[LAUGHTER]

1168
00:36:01,166 --> 00:36:04,200
So then Sully calls his house

1169
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:09,933
but he's got caller ID.

1170
00:36:09,933 --> 00:36:11,500
And his wife's talking to a

1171
00:36:11,500 --> 00:36:13,000
friend of hers on the phone and

1172
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,400
she says, "Oh," when it beeps,

1173
00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:16,100
she says, "Oh, it's just Sully."

1174
00:36:16,100 --> 00:36:17,700
[LAUGHTER]

1175
00:36:17,700 --> 00:36:18,900
"He'll call back later

1176
00:36:18,900 --> 00:36:20,600
when it's important."

1177
00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:23,333
[LAUGHTER]

1178
00:36:23,333 --> 00:36:25,233
Then he calls our dispatcher.

1179
00:36:25,233 --> 00:36:27,633
We have dispatchers in the

1180
00:36:27,633 --> 00:36:30,066
airline business, to tell them

1181
00:36:30,066 --> 00:36:32,300
where we left their airplane.

1182
00:36:32,300 --> 00:36:34,866
[LAUGHTER]

1183
00:36:34,866 --> 00:36:38,766
And he answers and he says,

1184
00:36:38,766 --> 00:36:40,866
"I don't have time to talk

1185
00:36:40,866 --> 00:36:42,133
to you right now; we have an

1186
00:36:42,133 --> 00:36:43,800
airplane down in the Hudson."

1187
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:48,200
[LAUGHTER]

1188
00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:49,566
Now all this actually

1189
00:36:49,566 --> 00:36:52,100
only took place maybe just a

1190
00:36:52,100 --> 00:36:54,366
couple hundred yards from shore

1191
00:36:54,366 --> 00:36:56,966
on the Manhattan side.

1192
00:36:56,966 --> 00:36:58,766
And in fact, the ferry terminal

1193
00:36:58,766 --> 00:37:00,800
was only a couple blocks south

1194
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:02,200
of the actual site of where we

1195
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,433
came to rest.

1196
00:37:04,433 --> 00:37:06,533
So it really didn't take us long

1197
00:37:06,533 --> 00:37:08,566
before we were at the ferry dock

1198
00:37:08,566 --> 00:37:14,566
and filing off the boat.

1199
00:37:14,566 --> 00:37:16,633
The entire flight

1200
00:37:16,633 --> 00:37:18,933
took five and a half minutes,

1201
00:37:18,933 --> 00:37:20,166
two minutes

1202
00:37:20,166 --> 00:37:21,533
until we hit the geese,

1203
00:37:21,533 --> 00:37:22,933
three and a half minutes until

1204
00:37:22,933 --> 00:37:27,200
we landed in the Hudson River.

1205
00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:30,000
Just to tell you the story has

1206
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,500
taken me five times that long.

1207
00:37:33,500 --> 00:37:35,366
>> Cactus 1549,

1208
00:37:35,366 --> 00:37:38,200
700 climbing 5,000.

1209
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:43,433
>> Cactus 1549,

1210
00:37:43,433 --> 00:37:45,833
contact and maintain 1-5000.

1211
00:37:45,833 --> 00:37:47,933
>> Maintain 1-5000,

1212
00:37:47,933 --> 00:37:50,733
Cactus 1549.

1213
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:56,600
>> Cactus 1549,

1214
00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:58,533
turn left heading 2-7-0.

1215
00:37:58,533 --> 00:38:00,466
>> Ah, this, uh, Cactus 1549.

1216
00:38:00,466 --> 00:38:02,233
Hit birds, we lost thrust

1217
00:38:02,233 --> 00:38:03,200
in both engines.

1218
00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:04,066
We're turning back towards

1219
00:38:04,066 --> 00:38:05,000
LaGuardia.

1220
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:06,300
>> Okay, yeah, you need to

1221
00:38:06,300 --> 00:38:07,366
return to LaGuardia.

1222
00:38:07,366 --> 00:38:09,166
Turn left heading of 2-2-0.

1223
00:38:09,166 --> 00:38:10,900
>> 2-2-0.

1224
00:38:10,900 --> 00:38:12,033
>> Tower, stop your departures.

1225
00:38:12,033 --> 00:38:13,133
We got an emergency returning.

1226
00:38:13,133 --> 00:38:14,300
>> Who is it?

1227
00:38:14,300 --> 00:38:15,166
>> It's 1529,

1228
00:38:15,166 --> 00:38:16,500
he ah, bird strike.

1229
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:17,533
He lost all engines.

1230
00:38:17,533 --> 00:38:18,433
He lost the thrust

1231
00:38:18,433 --> 00:38:19,300
in the engines.

1232
00:38:19,300 --> 00:38:20,200
He is returning immediately.

1233
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,066
>> Cactus 1529, which engines?

1234
00:38:22,066 --> 00:38:23,433
>> He lost thrust in both

1235
00:38:23,433 --> 00:38:24,533
engines, he said.

1236
00:38:24,533 --> 00:38:25,700
>> Got it.

1237
00:38:25,700 --> 00:38:27,833
>> Cactus 1529, if we can get it

1238
00:38:27,833 --> 00:38:29,000
to you, do you want to try

1239
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,333
to land runway 1-3?

1240
00:38:30,333 --> 00:38:31,400
>> We're unable.

1241
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,000
We may end up in the Hudson.

1242
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:34,100
>> All right cactus 1549.

1243
00:38:34,100 --> 00:38:35,033
It's going to be a left.

1244
00:38:35,033 --> 00:38:36,333
Traffic to runway 3-1.

1245
00:38:36,333 --> 00:38:37,466
>> Unable.

1246
00:38:37,466 --> 00:38:38,433
>> Okay, what do you need

1247
00:38:38,433 --> 00:38:39,366
to land?

1248
00:38:39,366 --> 00:38:40,333
Do you want to try

1249
00:38:40,333 --> 00:38:41,300
to go to Teterboro?

1250
00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:42,266
>> Yes.

1251
00:38:42,266 --> 00:38:44,100
>> Teterboro, uh, empire

1252
00:38:44,100 --> 00:38:45,433
actually, LaGuardia departure

1253
00:38:45,433 --> 00:38:46,600
got an emergency inbound.

1254
00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:47,600
>> Okay, go ahead.

1255
00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:48,733
>> Cactus 1529, over the

1256
00:38:48,733 --> 00:38:49,700
George Washington Bridge, wants

1257
00:38:49,700 --> 00:38:51,266
to go your airport right now.

1258
00:38:51,266 --> 00:38:52,200
>> He wants to go to our airport

1259
00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:53,133
check.

1260
00:38:53,133 --> 00:38:54,033
Does he need assistance?

1261
00:38:54,033 --> 00:38:54,833
>> Yes, he, it was a bird

1262
00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:55,733
strike.

1263
00:38:55,733 --> 00:38:56,966
Can I get him in for runway one?

1264
00:38:56,966 --> 00:38:58,066
>> Runway one, that's good.

1265
00:38:58,066 --> 00:38:59,266
>> Cactus 1529, turn right

1266
00:38:59,266 --> 00:39:00,633
2-8-0, you can land runway one

1267
00:39:00,633 --> 00:39:01,733
at Teterboro.

1268
00:39:01,733 --> 00:39:03,233
>> We can't do it.

1269
00:39:03,233 --> 00:39:04,600
>> Okay, which runway would you

1270
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:05,666
like at Teterboro?

1271
00:39:05,666 --> 00:39:07,600
>> We're gonna be in the Hudson.

1272
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:08,833
>> I'm sorry, say again,

1273
00:39:08,833 --> 00:39:10,100
Cactus.

1274
00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:11,566
Cactus 1549, radar contact

1275
00:39:11,566 --> 00:39:12,733
is lost.

1276
00:39:12,733 --> 00:39:13,700
You also got Newark airport

1277
00:39:13,700 --> 00:39:14,966
off your two o'clock

1278
00:39:14,966 --> 00:39:17,033
in about seven miles.

1279
00:39:17,033 --> 00:39:18,166
Eagle flight 4718, turn left

1280
00:39:18,166 --> 00:39:19,466
heading 2-1-0.

1281
00:39:19,466 --> 00:39:22,300
>> 2-1-0, 4718.

1282
00:39:22,300 --> 00:39:23,500
I don't know, I think he said

1283
00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:25,300
he was going in the Hudson.

1284
00:39:25,300 --> 00:39:28,933
>> Cactus 1529, you still on?

1285
00:39:35,733 --> 00:39:36,966
>> We weren't at the ferry

1286
00:39:36,966 --> 00:39:38,333
dock long before the politicians

1287
00:39:38,333 --> 00:39:40,233
arrived.

1288
00:39:40,233 --> 00:39:44,233
[LAUGHTER]

1289
00:39:44,233 --> 00:39:45,200
Mayor Bloomberg and

1290
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:46,366
Governor Paterson came down to

1291
00:39:46,366 --> 00:39:49,400
hold a press conference on site.

1292
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:50,466
And of course Sully and I are

1293
00:39:50,466 --> 00:39:51,766
thinking we're the only the ones

1294
00:39:51,766 --> 00:39:52,800
that really knew what happened,

1295
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:54,100
how can anybody possible hold

1296
00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:55,133
a press conference about such

1297
00:39:55,133 --> 00:39:57,466
a circumstance?

1298
00:39:57,466 --> 00:39:58,733
But this is where Governor

1299
00:39:58,733 --> 00:40:00,366
Paterson coined the phrase

1300
00:40:00,366 --> 00:40:02,433
"the miracle on the Hudson."

1301
00:40:02,433 --> 00:40:04,200
But the question is,

1302
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:07,133
was it really a miracle?

1303
00:40:07,133 --> 00:40:08,133
We're going to come back to that

1304
00:40:08,133 --> 00:40:09,633
in a minute.

1305
00:40:09,633 --> 00:40:10,800
But I want to tell you a little

1306
00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:12,066
bit more about what that evening

1307
00:40:12,066 --> 00:40:14,066
entailed for us.

1308
00:40:14,066 --> 00:40:15,733
At the ferry dock, most of the

1309
00:40:15,733 --> 00:40:17,133
passengers were at the same

1310
00:40:17,133 --> 00:40:18,833
location that we were

1311
00:40:18,833 --> 00:40:20,766
on 39th Street.

1312
00:40:20,766 --> 00:40:23,066
And initially they had thought

1313
00:40:23,066 --> 00:40:24,100
that this was a terrorist

1314
00:40:24,100 --> 00:40:25,266
incident.

1315
00:40:25,266 --> 00:40:26,933
So the law enforcement

1316
00:40:26,933 --> 00:40:28,433
had mobilized as if it was

1317
00:40:28,433 --> 00:40:29,766
a terrorist incident.

1318
00:40:29,766 --> 00:40:32,133
There were more police officers

1319
00:40:32,133 --> 00:40:33,566
than there were passengers

1320
00:40:33,566 --> 00:40:35,600
and crew.

1321
00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:36,933
There were Manhattan cops,

1322
00:40:36,933 --> 00:40:40,033
Port Authority cops, DEA, FBI.

1323
00:40:40,033 --> 00:40:41,966
Every acronym you could imagine

1324
00:40:41,966 --> 00:40:44,666
was there, and nobody knew what

1325
00:40:44,666 --> 00:40:47,866
to do because an airplane with

1326
00:40:47,866 --> 00:40:49,933
155 people on it just doesn't

1327
00:40:49,933 --> 00:40:52,866
drop out of the sky every day.

1328
00:40:52,866 --> 00:40:55,933
Most of the passengers were

1329
00:40:55,933 --> 00:40:58,033
walking around with Red Cross

1330
00:40:58,033 --> 00:40:59,666
blankets over their shoulders

1331
00:40:59,666 --> 00:41:01,800
and were wondering

1332
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:04,366
what the next step was.

1333
00:41:04,366 --> 00:41:06,100
Eight of them actually took that

1334
00:41:06,100 --> 00:41:09,966
in their own hands.

1335
00:41:09,966 --> 00:41:11,200
They walked right through the

1336
00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:13,066
ferry terminal, went out to the

1337
00:41:13,066 --> 00:41:16,366
curb, hailed a cab, went out to

1338
00:41:16,366 --> 00:41:18,500
LaGuardia, and they were on the

1339
00:41:18,500 --> 00:41:20,166
next flight to Charlotte.

1340
00:41:20,166 --> 00:41:24,000
[LAUGHTER]

1341
00:41:30,300 --> 00:41:32,933
Now, we were just milling around

1342
00:41:32,933 --> 00:41:34,266
for about, I don't know,

1343
00:41:34,266 --> 00:41:35,566
an hour and a half or two hours

1344
00:41:35,566 --> 00:41:36,966
there, and I'm thinking

1345
00:41:36,966 --> 00:41:38,066
something's got to give here,

1346
00:41:38,066 --> 00:41:39,866
something's got to break.

1347
00:41:39,866 --> 00:41:41,566
Sully's telling the police

1348
00:41:41,566 --> 00:41:45,766
either arrest us or let us go.

1349
00:41:45,766 --> 00:41:47,900
And then the door opens,

1350
00:41:47,900 --> 00:41:49,466
and in walks another US Airways

1351
00:41:49,466 --> 00:41:51,233
pilot, because he's wearing

1352
00:41:51,233 --> 00:41:52,333
his uniform.

1353
00:41:52,333 --> 00:41:54,333
I didn't know him, but he walks

1354
00:41:54,333 --> 00:41:55,733
over to us.

1355
00:41:55,733 --> 00:41:57,666
It turns out it was one our

1356
00:41:57,666 --> 00:41:58,966
pilot reps, we happened to have

1357
00:41:58,966 --> 00:42:01,066
a LaGuardia base at the time,

1358
00:42:01,066 --> 00:42:02,366
and he put on his uniform and he

1359
00:42:02,366 --> 00:42:03,366
lived in Manhattan and came

1360
00:42:03,366 --> 00:42:05,233
down, found us, and I'm thinking

1361
00:42:05,233 --> 00:42:06,733
thank God there's somebody here

1362
00:42:06,733 --> 00:42:09,633
who will know what to do.

1363
00:42:09,633 --> 00:42:11,800
And he introduces himself, and

1364
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:13,433
then he moves off no more than

1365
00:42:13,433 --> 00:42:14,700
three feet, gets out his cell

1366
00:42:14,700 --> 00:42:16,033
phone, dials somebody

1367
00:42:16,033 --> 00:42:17,433
and he says, "I got 'em.

1368
00:42:17,433 --> 00:42:19,900
I got 'em. What do I do?"

1369
00:42:19,900 --> 00:42:22,866
[LAUGHTER]

1370
00:42:22,866 --> 00:42:24,300
What he was doing,

1371
00:42:24,300 --> 00:42:26,100
was he was calling our Accident

1372
00:42:26,100 --> 00:42:28,766
Investigation chairman.

1373
00:42:28,766 --> 00:42:30,166
One of the things we have as

1374
00:42:30,166 --> 00:42:31,966
airline pilots is we have

1375
00:42:31,966 --> 00:42:35,100
a large support network.

1376
00:42:35,100 --> 00:42:37,666
We have an accident

1377
00:42:37,666 --> 00:42:39,300
investigation committee that

1378
00:42:39,300 --> 00:42:40,866
actually trains with the

1379
00:42:40,866 --> 00:42:42,100
National Transportation Safety

1380
00:42:42,100 --> 00:42:43,666
Board as accident investigators.

1381
00:42:43,666 --> 00:42:45,366
They work alongside them

1382
00:42:45,366 --> 00:42:48,200
in an air crash.

1383
00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:49,700
We have people that are trained

1384
00:42:49,700 --> 00:42:50,833
in psychological issues to help

1385
00:42:50,833 --> 00:42:52,866
us or to help our families,

1386
00:42:52,866 --> 00:42:54,500
God forbid, get past

1387
00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:56,033
some of the emotional crisis

1388
00:42:56,033 --> 00:42:59,966
of an air crash.

1389
00:42:59,966 --> 00:43:01,133
We have media people to help

1390
00:43:01,133 --> 00:43:03,733
deal with the media.

1391
00:43:03,733 --> 00:43:06,266
And all of these people are

1392
00:43:06,266 --> 00:43:08,200
just waiting for that call.

1393
00:43:08,200 --> 00:43:09,400
They don't want to ever hear

1394
00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:10,966
that call, but when they do,

1395
00:43:10,966 --> 00:43:12,666
they drop everything they have.

1396
00:43:12,666 --> 00:43:13,800
They get off trips.

1397
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:15,000
They go to wherever that

1398
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:16,666
location was.

1399
00:43:16,666 --> 00:43:17,966
Our accident was at 3:30 in the

1400
00:43:17,966 --> 00:43:19,666
afternoon on Thursday,

1401
00:43:19,666 --> 00:43:22,533
January 15th.

1402
00:43:22,533 --> 00:43:24,833
By that evening, 40 to 45

1403
00:43:24,833 --> 00:43:27,066
of my fellow pilots had already

1404
00:43:27,066 --> 00:43:28,900
gotten to New York City

1405
00:43:28,900 --> 00:43:30,733
just to assume their roles

1406
00:43:30,733 --> 00:43:34,233
and to support Sully and I.

1407
00:43:34,233 --> 00:43:36,300
Our accident investigation

1408
00:43:36,300 --> 00:43:37,700
chairman said take them to a

1409
00:43:37,700 --> 00:43:41,366
hospital.

1410
00:43:41,366 --> 00:43:42,466
And the guy said, well, they're

1411
00:43:42,466 --> 00:43:44,533
not hurt, because we weren't.

1412
00:43:44,533 --> 00:43:45,566
We were wet, we were cold,

1413
00:43:45,566 --> 00:43:48,000
but we were unhurt.

1414
00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,433
They'd taken Doreen, our flight

1415
00:43:50,433 --> 00:43:52,366
attendant that was injured, off

1416
00:43:52,366 --> 00:43:55,033
to the hospital much earlier.

1417
00:43:55,033 --> 00:43:57,066
And he said, it doesn't matter,

1418
00:43:57,066 --> 00:43:58,800
take them to a hospital.

1419
00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,500
It's a standard procedure.

1420
00:44:01,500 --> 00:44:04,966
When you're in the public eye,

1421
00:44:04,966 --> 00:44:06,300
you don't have a door that you

1422
00:44:06,300 --> 00:44:08,433
can close and get behind.

1423
00:44:08,433 --> 00:44:09,933
A hospital emergency room

1424
00:44:09,933 --> 00:44:11,866
is a place of sanctuary.

1425
00:44:11,866 --> 00:44:14,433
Not anybody can go in there.

1426
00:44:14,433 --> 00:44:15,733
It's very restricted who is

1427
00:44:15,733 --> 00:44:16,900
allowed access to a hospital

1428
00:44:16,900 --> 00:44:18,333
emergency room.

1429
00:44:18,333 --> 00:44:20,433
So if you don't have a house

1430
00:44:20,433 --> 00:44:22,366
or something of even better

1431
00:44:22,366 --> 00:44:23,500
shelter, you go to an emergency

1432
00:44:23,500 --> 00:44:25,333
room.

1433
00:44:25,333 --> 00:44:27,300
So we went to the emergency room

1434
00:44:27,300 --> 00:44:29,866
in a large ambulance.

1435
00:44:29,866 --> 00:44:32,100
And when you go there, they've

1436
00:44:32,100 --> 00:44:33,833
got to take your blood pressure,

1437
00:44:33,833 --> 00:44:36,200
check your pulse, your vitals,

1438
00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:38,733
all that, and then a doctor

1439
00:44:38,733 --> 00:44:40,100
comes in and asks if there's

1440
00:44:40,100 --> 00:44:41,300
anything wrong with me.

1441
00:44:41,300 --> 00:44:42,666
And I said, "No."

1442
00:44:42,666 --> 00:44:43,900
"Okay, then I'm going to

1443
00:44:43,900 --> 00:44:44,933
release you," she says.

1444
00:44:44,933 --> 00:44:46,533
I said, "Okay."

1445
00:44:46,533 --> 00:44:47,600
And of course, to release you,

1446
00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:48,633
they've got to check your

1447
00:44:48,633 --> 00:44:50,433
blood pressure, take your pulse,

1448
00:44:50,433 --> 00:44:51,533
check your vitals.

1449
00:44:51,533 --> 00:44:53,166
[LAUGHTER]

1450
00:44:53,166 --> 00:44:55,633
And they released us and then

1451
00:44:55,633 --> 00:44:57,400
the FBI actually drove us

1452
00:44:57,400 --> 00:44:59,300
to a hotel.

1453
00:44:59,300 --> 00:45:00,733
We actually had several hotels

1454
00:45:00,733 --> 00:45:02,133
booked throughout the New York

1455
00:45:02,133 --> 00:45:03,333
area in case the press would

1456
00:45:03,333 --> 00:45:04,966
find out where we were.

1457
00:45:04,966 --> 00:45:05,900
Fortunately they didn't,

1458
00:45:05,900 --> 00:45:07,666
all night long, actually for a

1459
00:45:07,666 --> 00:45:09,400
couple days we were there.

1460
00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:12,633
And we got in the hotel and

1461
00:45:12,633 --> 00:45:15,466
first thing, of course, with any

1462
00:45:15,466 --> 00:45:17,366
kind of transportation accident

1463
00:45:17,366 --> 00:45:20,066
is you have to take a drug test.

1464
00:45:20,066 --> 00:45:22,100
But then the next thing we do is

1465
00:45:22,100 --> 00:45:23,333
we sit down with what we call

1466
00:45:23,333 --> 00:45:24,433
our critical instrument response

1467
00:45:24,433 --> 00:45:25,333
people.

1468
00:45:25,333 --> 00:45:26,333
These are people trained to help

1469
00:45:26,333 --> 00:45:28,433
us with psychological issues.

1470
00:45:28,433 --> 00:45:30,100
And there's Sully and I sitting

1471
00:45:30,100 --> 00:45:32,766
on one bed and these two guys

1472
00:45:32,766 --> 00:45:36,033
sitting on the other bed, and

1473
00:45:36,033 --> 00:45:37,333
one starts to tell us, he says

1474
00:45:37,333 --> 00:45:39,200
you probably don't realize it

1475
00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:42,166
but you're certainly suffering

1476
00:45:42,166 --> 00:45:43,900
from post-traumatic shock and I

1477
00:45:43,900 --> 00:45:46,666
just want to let you know what

1478
00:45:46,666 --> 00:45:47,933
some of the symptoms are.

1479
00:45:47,933 --> 00:45:49,333
You probably won't sleep

1480
00:45:49,333 --> 00:45:50,933
tonight.

1481
00:45:50,933 --> 00:45:52,000
You probably won't sleep

1482
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:53,433
tomorrow night.

1483
00:45:53,433 --> 00:45:54,966
Maybe on the third night you'll

1484
00:45:54,966 --> 00:45:56,733
go to bed because you're so dead

1485
00:45:56,733 --> 00:45:58,566
tired, but then after an hour

1486
00:45:58,566 --> 00:46:00,100
you'll wake up and the whole

1487
00:46:00,100 --> 00:46:01,200
thing will be going through your

1488
00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:03,033
mind like a freight train.

1489
00:46:03,033 --> 00:46:04,066
And we want you to know that

1490
00:46:04,066 --> 00:46:05,900
this is normal and that it will

1491
00:46:05,900 --> 00:46:08,266
go away, and if it doesn't, you

1492
00:46:08,266 --> 00:46:10,733
need to seek professional help

1493
00:46:10,733 --> 00:46:11,900
to make sure that it's not

1494
00:46:11,900 --> 00:46:13,766
permanently debilitating.

1495
00:46:13,766 --> 00:46:16,600
And then he says, okay,

1496
00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:18,700
go back to your rooms and relax.

1497
00:46:18,700 --> 00:46:21,300
[LAUGHTER]

1498
00:46:21,300 --> 00:46:23,766
Relax?

1499
00:46:23,766 --> 00:46:25,633
We just crashed an airplane.

1500
00:46:25,633 --> 00:46:27,766
You're not supposed to do that.

1501
00:46:27,766 --> 00:46:29,833
My whole career, everything that

1502
00:46:29,833 --> 00:46:31,533
I think of myself and everything

1503
00:46:31,533 --> 00:46:33,200
that I am is going to be up for

1504
00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,166
scrutiny in a very public way.

1505
00:46:36,166 --> 00:46:37,466
And we knew that then.

1506
00:46:37,466 --> 00:46:39,700
We absolutely knew that.

1507
00:46:39,700 --> 00:46:40,933
And I get to the room, I turn on

1508
00:46:40,933 --> 00:46:42,500
the TV, it's about the accident.

1509
00:46:42,500 --> 00:46:43,866
I turned it off.

1510
00:46:43,866 --> 00:46:44,933
I don't have anything

1511
00:46:44,933 --> 00:46:46,400
but the clothes on my back,

1512
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:48,466
and they're still wet.

1513
00:46:48,466 --> 00:46:50,100
And there's nothing to read,

1514
00:46:50,100 --> 00:46:52,533
there's nothing to do.

1515
00:46:52,533 --> 00:46:54,733
I put on my jacket and I just

1516
00:46:54,733 --> 00:46:56,633
went and I walked around the

1517
00:46:56,633 --> 00:46:59,633
LaGuardia area all night long.

1518
00:46:59,633 --> 00:47:01,166
And I came back to the hotel

1519
00:47:01,166 --> 00:47:02,833
about 7:00 AM in the morning to

1520
00:47:02,833 --> 00:47:04,633
find out that everybody was in

1521
00:47:04,633 --> 00:47:06,233
an uproar because they thought

1522
00:47:06,233 --> 00:47:07,300
they'd lost me.

1523
00:47:07,300 --> 00:47:08,500
Somebody had gone to get me in

1524
00:47:08,500 --> 00:47:10,866
my room and I wasn't there.

1525
00:47:10,866 --> 00:47:13,666
We were there from Thursday

1526
00:47:13,666 --> 00:47:15,700
until Saturday morning when we

1527
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:17,300
had to give our NTSB interview

1528
00:47:17,300 --> 00:47:19,433
they call it, which is eight

1529
00:47:19,433 --> 00:47:21,133
investigators around

1530
00:47:21,133 --> 00:47:25,266
a conference table and you.

1531
00:47:25,266 --> 00:47:28,300
I haven't slept in three days,

1532
00:47:28,300 --> 00:47:30,366
and this went on for three

1533
00:47:30,366 --> 00:47:32,833
hours.

1534
00:47:32,833 --> 00:47:34,900
Asking me questions.

1535
00:47:34,900 --> 00:47:35,933
It was nice.

1536
00:47:35,933 --> 00:47:37,333
It was polite, but still,

1537
00:47:37,333 --> 00:47:39,366
it was three hours.

1538
00:47:39,366 --> 00:47:42,000
And then it was over.

1539
00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:43,600
They bundled me in a cab.

1540
00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:45,266
One of our US Air guys gave me

1541
00:47:45,266 --> 00:47:46,666
$20 for a $40 cab ride to

1542
00:47:46,666 --> 00:47:48,200
LaGuardia.

1543
00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:52,066
[LAUGHTER]

1544
00:47:52,066 --> 00:47:54,566
I didn't carry much cash on me

1545
00:47:54,566 --> 00:47:56,466
when I went on trips,

1546
00:47:56,466 --> 00:47:57,833
so by the time I emptied my

1547
00:47:57,833 --> 00:47:59,100
wallet I actually had to stiff

1548
00:47:59,100 --> 00:48:00,700
the guy a little on the tip

1549
00:48:00,700 --> 00:48:03,666
but I didn't have anything.

1550
00:48:03,666 --> 00:48:06,566
And then I took a United flight.

1551
00:48:06,566 --> 00:48:08,333
[LAUGHTER]

1552
00:48:08,333 --> 00:48:10,933
Home to Chicago and the bus

1553
00:48:10,933 --> 00:48:12,766
up to Madison, Wisconsin,

1554
00:48:12,766 --> 00:48:15,233
where I live.

1555
00:48:15,233 --> 00:48:16,333
There's some other people who

1556
00:48:16,333 --> 00:48:17,633
were involved in the accident.

1557
00:48:17,633 --> 00:48:18,966
Doreen, our flight attendant,

1558
00:48:18,966 --> 00:48:20,666
she was in the hospital, and

1559
00:48:20,666 --> 00:48:22,233
they had to stitch up her leg,

1560
00:48:22,233 --> 00:48:23,633
but fortunately she was

1561
00:48:23,633 --> 00:48:24,933
going to be okay.

1562
00:48:24,933 --> 00:48:26,233
She was in a wheel chair for a

1563
00:48:26,233 --> 00:48:29,066
couple of weeks after that.

1564
00:48:29,066 --> 00:48:31,766
Our air traffic controller,

1565
00:48:31,766 --> 00:48:33,033
Patrick Harten, the voice that

1566
00:48:33,033 --> 00:48:35,600
you heard on that tape, he was

1567
00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:38,033
so confident in his abilities

1568
00:48:38,033 --> 00:48:39,966
to get an airplane back to

1569
00:48:39,966 --> 00:48:41,533
the airport.

1570
00:48:41,533 --> 00:48:43,233
He'd never had a circumstance

1571
00:48:43,233 --> 00:48:44,533
where he didn't get an airplane

1572
00:48:44,533 --> 00:48:46,200
back to the airport.

1573
00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:48,666
And as we went down, he talks

1574
00:48:48,666 --> 00:48:52,066
about how startled he was

1575
00:48:52,066 --> 00:48:54,900
when he lost our signal

1576
00:48:54,900 --> 00:48:58,000
as we went behind a skyscraper.

1577
00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:00,866
And he lost our blip

1578
00:49:00,866 --> 00:49:03,266
on his radar screen.

1579
00:49:03,266 --> 00:49:05,000
And then it came back as we went

1580
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:07,300
between skyscrapers, and then he

1581
00:49:07,300 --> 00:49:09,600
lost it completely.

1582
00:49:09,600 --> 00:49:10,966
They immediately relieved him

1583
00:49:10,966 --> 00:49:12,633
on his scope.

1584
00:49:12,633 --> 00:49:14,700
And they put him in a room with

1585
00:49:14,700 --> 00:49:16,266
one of the other controllers,

1586
00:49:16,266 --> 00:49:18,366
and he said it was like he was

1587
00:49:18,366 --> 00:49:21,133
on suicide watch.

1588
00:49:21,133 --> 00:49:22,233
He called up his wife, and he

1589
00:49:22,233 --> 00:49:23,300
said something horrible has

1590
00:49:23,300 --> 00:49:24,366
happened.

1591
00:49:24,366 --> 00:49:25,600
I can't even talk about it, but

1592
00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:26,800
something horrible, horrible

1593
00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:29,333
has happened.

1594
00:49:29,333 --> 00:49:31,200
Well, apparently they have TVs

1595
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:33,333
the air traffic control center.

1596
00:49:33,333 --> 00:49:35,800
I'm kind of suspicious about

1597
00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:37,133
that, but they do.

1598
00:49:37,133 --> 00:49:38,600
[LAUGHTER]

1599
00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:40,600
Anyway, this was almost

1600
00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,733
instantly on TV because

1601
00:49:42,733 --> 00:49:44,033
if you're going to do something

1602
00:49:44,033 --> 00:49:45,200
like this, it's just a

1603
00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:46,500
cross-town cab ride from all the

1604
00:49:46,500 --> 00:49:48,066
major media news networks.

1605
00:49:48,066 --> 00:49:49,200
So they were down there on the

1606
00:49:49,200 --> 00:49:50,100
shore with their cameras set up

1607
00:49:50,100 --> 00:49:51,366
in no time.

1608
00:49:51,366 --> 00:49:52,366
And it's already on TV and all

1609
00:49:52,366 --> 00:49:53,466
the controllers are seeing

1610
00:49:53,466 --> 00:49:54,566
everybody's out on the wings and

1611
00:49:54,566 --> 00:49:55,800
everybody's getting rescued and

1612
00:49:55,800 --> 00:49:57,433
everybody's surviving, and this

1613
00:49:57,433 --> 00:49:59,600
goes on for about 45 minutes

1614
00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:01,233
before somebody says, hey,

1615
00:50:01,233 --> 00:50:02,500
did anybody tell Paddy

1616
00:50:02,500 --> 00:50:04,533
that they lived?

1617
00:50:04,533 --> 00:50:06,533
He was still in this room.

1618
00:50:06,533 --> 00:50:09,200
They'd forgotten to tell him.

1619
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:13,233
But these are the kind of

1620
00:50:13,233 --> 00:50:15,200
the small stories.

1621
00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:16,800
And every person on board that

1622
00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:19,766
airplane has a story and it's

1623
00:50:19,766 --> 00:50:22,100
unique and it's something that

1624
00:50:22,100 --> 00:50:23,633
they will carry with them

1625
00:50:23,633 --> 00:50:26,100
for the rest of time.

1626
00:50:26,100 --> 00:50:28,500
But I mentioned earlier,

1627
00:50:28,500 --> 00:50:32,000
was this a miracle?

1628
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:34,200
And I'm not really going to

1629
00:50:34,200 --> 00:50:35,666
debate that, but I do want to

1630
00:50:35,666 --> 00:50:37,200
point out a few things, and

1631
00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:38,266
I peppered them through my

1632
00:50:38,266 --> 00:50:40,100
presentation and I hope you

1633
00:50:40,100 --> 00:50:43,766
caught some of them.

1634
00:50:43,766 --> 00:50:46,633
How Sully and I do flows,

1635
00:50:46,633 --> 00:50:48,033
we do checklists,

1636
00:50:48,033 --> 00:50:50,333
we have standard call-outs,

1637
00:50:50,333 --> 00:50:52,633
we have pre-prepared emergency

1638
00:50:52,633 --> 00:50:54,933
procedures that we instantly

1639
00:50:54,933 --> 00:50:57,666
adopted at just the voicing

1640
00:50:57,666 --> 00:51:00,833
of one or two words.

1641
00:51:00,833 --> 00:51:02,733
How when Sully said, "Brace for

1642
00:51:02,733 --> 00:51:04,733
impact," the flight attendants

1643
00:51:04,733 --> 00:51:07,133
immediately go into a path of

1644
00:51:07,133 --> 00:51:08,766
preparing the cabin for a crash

1645
00:51:08,766 --> 00:51:11,533
landing without having to have

1646
00:51:11,533 --> 00:51:13,733
any more direction.

1647
00:51:13,733 --> 00:51:15,700
When he said, "Evacuate,"

1648
00:51:15,700 --> 00:51:17,833
they instantly opened the doors,

1649
00:51:17,833 --> 00:51:19,866
get out the rafts.

1650
00:51:19,866 --> 00:51:21,500
And, in fact, they didn't even

1651
00:51:21,500 --> 00:51:22,933
know that we had landed on water

1652
00:51:22,933 --> 00:51:25,566
until they opened the door,

1653
00:51:25,566 --> 00:51:27,366
saw the Hudson River, and

1654
00:51:27,366 --> 00:51:29,000
they immediately changed their

1655
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:30,266
commands to don life vests,

1656
00:51:30,266 --> 00:51:32,533
come this way.

1657
00:51:32,533 --> 00:51:33,700
Our air traffic controller,

1658
00:51:33,700 --> 00:51:34,733
Patrick Harten, one of the

1659
00:51:34,733 --> 00:51:36,833
reason why ended up where we

1660
00:51:36,833 --> 00:51:39,000
were was as soon as we declared

1661
00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:40,366
an emergency he said turn left

1662
00:51:40,366 --> 00:51:41,633
to 200 degrees because that's

1663
00:51:41,633 --> 00:51:43,066
a standard procedure off of

1664
00:51:43,066 --> 00:51:46,033
LaGuardia for emergencies

1665
00:51:46,033 --> 00:51:48,966
off of runway four.

1666
00:51:48,966 --> 00:51:51,833
Our ferry boat crews who trained

1667
00:51:51,833 --> 00:51:54,666
monthly and right there in

1668
00:51:54,666 --> 00:51:56,400
New York City and actually

1669
00:51:56,400 --> 00:51:57,900
every year have to go to safety

1670
00:51:57,900 --> 00:51:59,566
training down in Baltimore where

1671
00:51:59,566 --> 00:52:01,166
they actually use simulators

1672
00:52:01,166 --> 00:52:03,766
for emergencies like this.

1673
00:52:03,766 --> 00:52:05,266
The fire boats that were

1674
00:52:05,266 --> 00:52:08,600
instantly out there to help us.

1675
00:52:08,600 --> 00:52:10,200
The police helicopter

1676
00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:11,333
with the frogman.

1677
00:52:11,333 --> 00:52:12,566
I don't know where he came from.

1678
00:52:12,566 --> 00:52:13,500
[LAUGHTER]

1679
00:52:13,500 --> 00:52:14,533
Who sits around

1680
00:52:14,533 --> 00:52:16,333
in a frogman outfit?

1681
00:52:16,333 --> 00:52:18,100
[LAUGHTER]

1682
00:52:18,100 --> 00:52:20,866
But he was there.

1683
00:52:20,866 --> 00:52:22,433
And the emergency responders and

1684
00:52:22,433 --> 00:52:25,266
the police officers on shore.

1685
00:52:25,266 --> 00:52:27,533
Even the Manhattan medical

1686
00:52:27,533 --> 00:52:29,433
community called in every

1687
00:52:29,433 --> 00:52:32,533
off-duty doctor, nurse, because

1688
00:52:32,533 --> 00:52:34,533
they were preparing for a

1689
00:52:34,533 --> 00:52:37,333
massive emergency in Manhattan.

1690
00:52:37,333 --> 00:52:39,366
And, of course, they got,

1691
00:52:39,366 --> 00:52:41,300
I think, three people: Doreen

1692
00:52:41,300 --> 00:52:43,866
and two of our passengers.

1693
00:52:43,866 --> 00:52:46,166
But this is the kind of

1694
00:52:46,166 --> 00:52:47,933
emergency preparedness system

1695
00:52:47,933 --> 00:52:50,333
that surrounds us every day.

1696
00:52:50,333 --> 00:52:52,433
And we don't really,

1697
00:52:52,433 --> 00:52:54,166
I don't think we really realize

1698
00:52:54,166 --> 00:52:55,900
the impact of this and the

1699
00:52:55,900 --> 00:52:57,766
importance of this in our daily

1700
00:52:57,766 --> 00:53:00,233
lives until we're unfortunate

1701
00:53:00,233 --> 00:53:01,800
enough to need some of these

1702
00:53:01,800 --> 00:53:04,966
services.

1703
00:53:04,966 --> 00:53:06,600
And I think that this

1704
00:53:06,600 --> 00:53:08,266
illustrates what the miracle on

1705
00:53:08,266 --> 00:53:10,766
the Hudson really was.

1706
00:53:10,766 --> 00:53:13,200
Sully and I had a role, but so

1707
00:53:13,200 --> 00:53:15,866
did Donna, Doreen, and Sheila,

1708
00:53:15,866 --> 00:53:17,166
our flight attendants.

1709
00:53:17,166 --> 00:53:19,466
As did our 150 passengers

1710
00:53:19,466 --> 00:53:21,533
who were perfect through this

1711
00:53:21,533 --> 00:53:23,900
incident.

1712
00:53:23,900 --> 00:53:25,033
There was no pushing.

1713
00:53:25,033 --> 00:53:26,100
There was no shoving.

1714
00:53:26,100 --> 00:53:27,433
They helped each other

1715
00:53:27,433 --> 00:53:29,766
every step of the way.

1716
00:53:29,766 --> 00:53:31,300
The boat crews that instantly

1717
00:53:31,300 --> 00:53:33,333
came to our aid

1718
00:53:33,333 --> 00:53:35,633
and all of the first responders

1719
00:53:35,633 --> 00:53:37,366
both out on the water

1720
00:53:37,366 --> 00:53:40,200
and at the ferry dock.

1721
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:42,700
That is what

1722
00:53:42,700 --> 00:53:45,666
made this incident successful.

1723
00:53:45,666 --> 00:53:47,500
So maybe it was a miracle.

1724
00:53:47,500 --> 00:53:49,666
I don't know.

1725
00:53:49,666 --> 00:53:51,733
Because so many people had to do

1726
00:53:51,733 --> 00:53:53,666
their jobs flawlessly

1727
00:53:53,666 --> 00:53:56,400
to reach this outcome.

1728
00:53:56,400 --> 00:53:58,566
That's my story of the miracle

1729
00:53:58,566 --> 00:54:01,166
on the Hudson today.

1730
00:54:01,166 --> 00:54:02,400
Thank you for allowing me

1731
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:04,100
to share it with you.

1732
00:54:04,100 --> 00:54:06,100
[APPLAUSE]