Impressive is an understatement...consider a few things...
1. As places to ditch go, the Hudson is pretty narrow..and an active waterway.
2. He'd went from 3400 to 1400 feet in one minute after the birdstrike, tells me the a/c had the glide profile of a stone and he had exactly one chance to get it right.
3. Water landings aren't easy in any stretch...you get a swell at the wrong time, or your AoA is off...suddenly, you crash instead of ditch.
4. This guy had more stick time than a lot of folks alive...that helped, but i also think his "guardian angel" or whatever you believe was on his shoulder yesterday.
5. Consider the weather. If there hadn't been USCG, NYPD and FDNY right there, not to mention civillian watercraft? There would have been folks injured or dead from hypothermia.
In short, impressive, doesn't begin to describe it. A spectacular miracle. Kudos to all involved that day. If the Captain of that a/c doesn't get an ICAO award, then there is no justice.
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