BY KERRY BURKE, PETE DONOHUE AND CORKY SIEMASZKO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Thursday, January 15th 2009, 8:16 PM
A former fighter pilot was hailed as the hero of the Hudson after he crash-landed a stricken US Airways jet in the river Thursday - and got everybody out alive.
Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was still drying off from the ordeal when Mayor Bloomberg sang his praises.
"He did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river," Bloomberg said of the veteran pilot who lives near San Francisco.
With water seeping into the plane, Sullenberger walked up and down the center aisle twice to make sure nobody was left before he fled the jet, the mayor said.
"He was the last one off the plane," Bloomberg said.
Gov. Paterson also praised the ferry boat operators and rescue workers who rushed over as the plane bobbed in the 40-degree water and plucked the passengers off the wings.
"We've had a miracle on the Hudson," Paterson said.
President Bush, whose farewell address was overshadowed by the drama in New York, also weighed in with praise.
"Laura and I are inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew as well as the dedication and selflessness of the emergency responders and volunteers who rescued passengers from the icy waters of the Hudson," Bush said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said everybody was accounted for - a group that included at least one baby and a passenger who lost a relative in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Passengers described the scene moments after the plane hit the water as "organized chaos," but said there was little panic as they helped each other reach the exit - allowing women and children to go first.
"It's just incredible right now that everybody's still alive," passenger said Alberto Panero said.
"It was intense, it was intense," added another passenger, Jeff Kolodjay. "You've got to give it to the pilot. He made a hell of a landing."
It was just 20 degrees at the time and shivering survivors were rushed to Roosevelt and other hospitals to be treated for exposure. Most were expected to be released.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were inspecting the 9-year-old Airbus A320, which was towed to Battery Park City and moored to a bulkhead just north of the World Financial Center.
Sullenberger, a 57-year-old former Air Force fighter pilot and a 29-year veteran of US Airways, told the tower at LaGuardia Airport he hit a flock of geese and it knocked out both of his engines.
It appeared to be the first time in 45 years that a major aircraft crash-landed in the water - and every passenger on board made it out alive.
Former Airbus executive George Hamlin said the pilot deserves a big thank you from the city.
"Ditching an aircraft is a significant accomplishment on the part of the pilot, as opposed to crashing one," he said. "There's no place for an airplane of that size to land in Manhattan."
Flight 1549, bound for Charlotte, N.C., was scheduled to take off at 3:04 p.m from LaGuardia. Many of the passengers were Bank of America bankers heading home.
The plane was on the tarmack for 22 minutes before it took off from Runway Four at 3:26 p.m., the FAA reported.
When it was off the ground, Sullenberger made a left turn and then the plane started to fall from the sky - just three minutes after takeoff, the FAA said.
Sullenberger radioed LaGuardia that he could not make it back to the airport. He said he was ditching the plane in the river.
Back in the cabin, the passengers knew they were in trouble.
"Everyone started saying prayers," Kolodjay said.
Then the intercom cracked and the pilot gave the order. "Prepare for impact," he said.
Seconds later, the jet with approximately 155 passengers and crew members was down and a rescue operation was underway in the water off the Intrepid museum.
In a city that's seen everything, hundreds braved the cold and watched the rescue in slack-jawed amazement from the shoreline.
"It was just going down further and further and further," said Peter Chinchino, of Edgewater, N.J. "I could not believe what I was seeing."
Many witnesses said they thought a movie was being shot, not realizing a real-life drama was being played out.
"I heard a boom and I saw a splash," said Larry Brunson, a car repairman for the LIRR who was at 12th Ave. and 40th St. when the plane went down. "People were grabbing on top of the plane and a wing as it sank."
For others, the falling plane evoked horrible memories of the 9/11 attacks.
"I saw a plane flying really, really low and I just thought, 'Not again,'" one visibly upset witness said.
The feds said there was no evidence of terrorism.
"There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," said Homeland Security press secretary Laura Keehner.
With Alison Gendar, Heidi Evans and Tracy Connor
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Thursday, January 15th 2009, 8:16 PM
A former fighter pilot was hailed as the hero of the Hudson after he crash-landed a stricken US Airways jet in the river Thursday - and got everybody out alive.
Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was still drying off from the ordeal when Mayor Bloomberg sang his praises.
"He did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river," Bloomberg said of the veteran pilot who lives near San Francisco.
With water seeping into the plane, Sullenberger walked up and down the center aisle twice to make sure nobody was left before he fled the jet, the mayor said.
"He was the last one off the plane," Bloomberg said.
Gov. Paterson also praised the ferry boat operators and rescue workers who rushed over as the plane bobbed in the 40-degree water and plucked the passengers off the wings.
"We've had a miracle on the Hudson," Paterson said.
President Bush, whose farewell address was overshadowed by the drama in New York, also weighed in with praise.
"Laura and I are inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew as well as the dedication and selflessness of the emergency responders and volunteers who rescued passengers from the icy waters of the Hudson," Bush said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said everybody was accounted for - a group that included at least one baby and a passenger who lost a relative in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Passengers described the scene moments after the plane hit the water as "organized chaos," but said there was little panic as they helped each other reach the exit - allowing women and children to go first.
"It's just incredible right now that everybody's still alive," passenger said Alberto Panero said.
"It was intense, it was intense," added another passenger, Jeff Kolodjay. "You've got to give it to the pilot. He made a hell of a landing."
It was just 20 degrees at the time and shivering survivors were rushed to Roosevelt and other hospitals to be treated for exposure. Most were expected to be released.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were inspecting the 9-year-old Airbus A320, which was towed to Battery Park City and moored to a bulkhead just north of the World Financial Center.
Sullenberger, a 57-year-old former Air Force fighter pilot and a 29-year veteran of US Airways, told the tower at LaGuardia Airport he hit a flock of geese and it knocked out both of his engines.
It appeared to be the first time in 45 years that a major aircraft crash-landed in the water - and every passenger on board made it out alive.
Former Airbus executive George Hamlin said the pilot deserves a big thank you from the city.
"Ditching an aircraft is a significant accomplishment on the part of the pilot, as opposed to crashing one," he said. "There's no place for an airplane of that size to land in Manhattan."
Flight 1549, bound for Charlotte, N.C., was scheduled to take off at 3:04 p.m from LaGuardia. Many of the passengers were Bank of America bankers heading home.
The plane was on the tarmack for 22 minutes before it took off from Runway Four at 3:26 p.m., the FAA reported.
When it was off the ground, Sullenberger made a left turn and then the plane started to fall from the sky - just three minutes after takeoff, the FAA said.
Sullenberger radioed LaGuardia that he could not make it back to the airport. He said he was ditching the plane in the river.
Back in the cabin, the passengers knew they were in trouble.
"Everyone started saying prayers," Kolodjay said.
Then the intercom cracked and the pilot gave the order. "Prepare for impact," he said.
Seconds later, the jet with approximately 155 passengers and crew members was down and a rescue operation was underway in the water off the Intrepid museum.
In a city that's seen everything, hundreds braved the cold and watched the rescue in slack-jawed amazement from the shoreline.
"It was just going down further and further and further," said Peter Chinchino, of Edgewater, N.J. "I could not believe what I was seeing."
Many witnesses said they thought a movie was being shot, not realizing a real-life drama was being played out.
"I heard a boom and I saw a splash," said Larry Brunson, a car repairman for the LIRR who was at 12th Ave. and 40th St. when the plane went down. "People were grabbing on top of the plane and a wing as it sank."
For others, the falling plane evoked horrible memories of the 9/11 attacks.
"I saw a plane flying really, really low and I just thought, 'Not again,'" one visibly upset witness said.
The feds said there was no evidence of terrorism.
"There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," said Homeland Security press secretary Laura Keehner.
With Alison Gendar, Heidi Evans and Tracy Connor
