A nearly full US Airways flight crash landed in the frigid waters of the Hudson River off the West Side of Manhattan today. According to early reports, all 156 people aboard, including the crew and an infant, survived the crash. The plane was an Airbus 320. Overwater landings with survivors are extremely rare. Several people were hurt, including a flight attendant with a broken leg and several people with hypothermia.
The crash is believed to have been caused by geese getting caught in an engine, possibly both engines, though an investigation is underway. The pilot may have been heading for Teterborough or Newark airports in New Jersey but had to drop the airplane into the Hudson, which is a major flyway. The airplane cleared the George Washington Bridge by 900 feet, according to CNN.
Many factors contributed to everyone surviving, including ferryboats and tugboats getting to the crash scene almost immediately. Life vests and seat flotation cushions were actually used. The pilot was Chesley Sullenberger III, a 29-year veteran captain and former fighter pilot. He also owns a consulting firm promoting safety in high risk businesses.
Now for the obvious question: what does the chart of a plane crash where everyone survives look like?