Why Planes Crash was a documentary TV series based on aviation accidents and crashes. The series was created, named and produced by Caroline Sommers for NBC News. The series premiere on July 12, 2009, featured Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's ditching of U.S. Air Flight 1549 in the Hudson on January 15, 2009, popularly known as "Miracle on the Hudson." Three other ditchings were also featured in this episode: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, ALM Flight 980, and Pan Am Flight 6.
Why Planes Crash
US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia, losing all engine power. Given their position in relation to the available airports and their low altitude, pilots Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles decided to glide the plane to ditching on the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan. All 155 people on board were rescued by nearby boats. There were no fatalities, although 100 people were injured, some seriously. The time from the bird strike to the ditching was less than four minutes.
Evacuation of US Airways Flight 1549 as it floats on the Hudson River
N106US, the aircraft involved in the accident
The Hudson River from above the Bronx, with Manhattan in the diagonal center and New Jersey in the distance. The George Washington Bridge is at right, Central Park Reservoir at upper left, and Teterboro Airport at the right center within the elbow of the Overpeck Creek.
Boats surround the tail of the sunken plane, visible just above the water line.
