Emergency Landing of Flight 1549

Date: January 15, 2009 • Location: Weehawken, United States

US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of Canada geese during its climb out from New York City and made an emergency landing in the Hudson River (featured).

US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways domestic flight from New York City's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte and Seattle, that ditched onto the Hudson River shortly after takeoff on January 15, 2009, due to a double engine failure caused by a bird strike. The Airbus A320 operating the flight, registered N106US, struck a flock of Canada geese shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia, resulting in a dual engine failure. Given their position in relation to the available airports and their low altitude, pilots Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles decided to glide the aircraft into a water landing on the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan, doing so without significant damage to the aircraft. All 155 people on board survived and were rescued by nearby boats, although 100 people were injured, 5 seriously. The time from the bird strike to the ditching was less than four minutes.