Former Comair airline captain and aviation attorney John Greaves was interviewed by Fox Business News about the US Airways Flight 1549 emergency landing on the Hudson River. Only a few hours had passed after the initial impact of the Airbus A320 when Mr. Greaves gave his insights on the amazing level of skill and expertise that was performed by the pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Flight 1549 was originally scheduled to land at Charlotte, North Carolina when only a few moments after takeoff from La Guardia, the plane apparently struck a flock of birds. According to published articles, the Captain reported a double bird strike which caused both engines to fail, leading him to decide that the Hudson River was the safest place to land both for his passengers and people on the ground.
While the rescue effort was still going on in New York, Mr. Greaves offered his opinion about this unusual situation of a double bird strike. He also talked about the impact of an airplane hitting the water and what the passengers usually experience in this type of landing.
Air Date: 1-15-2009
Incident Date: 1-15-2009
