I watched a special last night on flight 1549 that had to ditch in the Hudson River after it lost both engines in a bird strike - 2 engines on either wing taking a bird strike simultaneously (A very rare occurrence). As the pilot radioed to the tower at LaGuardia (where they took off from) he tells the controller he has lost power, and can not return to the airport. The controller suggests he try landing on runway ____ at Teterboro airport. The pilot says no, I can’t make that. The controller then asks which runway he can make, and the pilot tells him he can’t make any, he’s going to attempt to ditch in the Hudson River. Once the jetliner drops below a certain altitude, they lose radio contact with the control tower. The controller goes out on all frequencies asking for anyone in the area to inform him of what’s happening with the plane. A pilot flying a helicopter used for giving tours of the city spots the plane, and relays to the tower that the pilot is indeed ditching in the Hudson. The story has a happy ending as all passengers & crew are rescued – no fatalities. This occurred on January 15th.
Fast forward to August 11 – a tour helicopter is struck by a plane, and both craft crash into the Hudson river. There are no survivors. The plane took off from Teterboro Airport. The crash site is less than a half kilometer from where flight 1549 landed on the water.
Coincidence?
