Great Job By All
It really was an incredible incident!
The pilot seemed to have done everything right. I'm sure his years of experience and his training in the AF as well as later played a huge role in this survival story.
One questions I have - He reached the Hudson north of the George Washington Bridge. I wonder was it instinct, co-incidence, training or luck that caused him to turn south along the river toward the city? Had he gone north, he would have avoided any potential mishap with boats in the river, and been farther away from buildings and people who could have been impacted by a crash. That certainly could have been viewed as a reasonable approach. On the other hand, though, turning south led him toward the city, and all the ferries, tugs, police and coast guard boats in the water which finished off the happy story by keeping the plane from sinking (looked like it was tied to a tug) and getting the folks out of the water before the plane sank and they froze. The few minutes needed for boats to head farther north could have been the difference between everyone living and everyone freezing/ drowning.
So why did the pilot turn south and make everything work out so well? I'd like to think he thought it through and decided the best chance of getting the plane down and everyone ashore was to put it in the river near the ferries and Circle Line, where there were some pretty large boats capable of carrying all the folks away quickly.
And whatever the pilots reason for going south, remember, in addition to the pilot, crew and apparently calm passengers, the guys in the Circle Line and the Waterway Ferries also deserve a little credit for their quick actions. One was interviewed, and he just said "I saw the plane come down and started untying the boat" . A great reaction that helped as well.
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