US Airways Flight 1549

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, with no deaths and few serious injuries. The time from the bird strike to the ditching was less than four minutes. The Governor of New York State, David Paterson, called the incident a "Miracle on the Hudson" and a National Transportation Safety Board official described it as "the most successful ditching in aviation history". Flight simulations showed that the airplane could have returned to LaGuardia, had it turned toward the airport immediately after the bird strike. However, the Board found that scenario did not account for real-world considerations, and affirmed the ditching as providing the highest probability of survival, given the circumstances.: 89 The pilots and flight attendants were awarded the Master's Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators in recognition of their "heroic and unique aviation achievement".

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