A desperate battle between water and air
The Hudson river landing in detail: Imagine you're on board an airplane, ready for a routine flight. You take off, and a few moments later, the pilot makes the announcement: "Brace for impact!"
No, this is not fiction but actual reality. Get ready for an extraordinary story of an Airbus A320 making an emergency landing on the Hudson river.
In the world of aviation, there is no story as inspiring and remarkable as the "Miracle on the Hudson". On January 15, 2009, the world was stunned by an event that is etched forever in my memory.
When I watched the news, I couldn't believe my eyes. An Airbus A320 landing on a river in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. How could this happen?
Confrontation with the power of nature
It was a cold winter day. Onboard US Airways Flight 1549 were 150 passengers, 3 flight attendants and 2 pilots. The experience of captain Chesley Sullenberger, with over 40 years of flying, and first officer Jeffrey Skiles, was invaluable value.
The routine flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Charlotte took off at 3:24 PM. The Airbus A320, known for its reliability and advanced technology, began its climb. "Birds!"
Exactly 135 seconds into the flight at an altitude of 2.818 feet, the plane encountered a flock of geese. Passengers and crew heard loud bangs and saw flames coming from the engines, followed by silence and a smell of kerosene.
Duel till the last second
With both engines failing, the crew had only seconds to decide what to do. The aircraft began a gliding descent, and the only viable solution was an emergency landing on the Hudson river. According to captain Sullenberger, it wasn't an emergency landing but a "controlled water landing" (ditching in aviation jargon).
Shortly after, an announcement came over the intercom: "Brace for impact!" The plane descended gradually and made an extraordinary "soft" landing on the icy water surface.
Race against the clock
While the plane floated on the river, water started entering the cabin. Every second lost was precious during the evacuation. One by one, every passenger managed to escape from the wreckage.
Passengers used the inflatable slides and the wings of the plane as life rafts to get out of the freezing water. Rescuers and emergency services arrived quickly to save the passengers. Miraculously, all occupants survived this crash. But can this happen again tomorrow?
Constant threat to aviation
Planes colliding with birds, or also known as bird strikes, cause a constant challenge to the aviation industry. Although aircraft are designed and built with robust engines capable of withstanding bird strikes, larger and heavier birds or flocks of birds pose a serious risk.
They can cause damage to the engine's internal materials. While a bird strike is typically fatal for the bird, it usually isn't for the plane. The likelihood of an aircraft colliding with a bird is 0.0001%. Furthermore, in the majority of those cases, the aircraft can continue flying without any issues.
Aircraft engines undergo extensive testing to withstand bird impacts, as established by the European Aviation Safety Agency, which dictates that jet engines must withstand a bird impact with a mass of 1.81 kg.
Why make it difficult when it could be easy?
"Why we don’t make a sort of wire netting for the aircraft engine to prevent birds from entering?"
The answer is simple: yes, it can be done, but it comes at the expense of several factors. Firstly, an engine barrier would disrupt the airflow in the engine. The more air that flows through the engine, the more it can convert into thrust.
Efficiency would decrease, and fuel consumption would rise. Secondly, such barriers might not be able to withstand the force with which birds can collide with the engine.
When a bird is flying at 20 km/h and for example, hits your livingroom window, there's usually no problem. However, when an aircraft, traveling at speeds of 300 to 1.000 km/h, has to deal with a bird, the force and impact are much greater.
An unsolvable problem
The Airbus A320 crew that landed on the Hudson river made the impossible possible. Even in the most desperate circumstances, they managed to safely land the plane on the Hudson river, allowing all 155 occupants to tell the tale.
While there is no simple solution to completely prevent these incidents, manufacturers and regulatory authorities continue to work on enhancing safety in aviation.
Let's hope that you never have to present an exciting story, similar to the Hudson incident, to your fellows.
Safe travels and see you soon!
By: Rico Valkenborgh | October 26, 2023
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