Forced Landings: Pilot Lessons From The Miracle on the Hudson
Miracle on the Hudson: What Have We Learned?
Twelve years ago, on January 15, 2009, Cactus 1549, an Airbus A321, struck a flock of geese and ditched in the Hudson River. What can we, as pilots, learn from the famous “Miracle on the Hudson” accident?
You just took off from KLGA, when POW! Both engines blow. Now, you’re a glider…
And, this is your view!
Now, what do you do, Cap’n?
Part 1 of a 2-part series; portions of this series have been previously published in Airways Magazine and my book,
Keep Calm and Fly the Plane!
Author’s Note: In no way does this series intend to “armchair quarterback” this accident. Rather, the sole scope of this article is to draw lessons for pilots from issues raised by the NTSB report.
Forced Landings
If you’re an airline pilot—or even a private pilot—you’ve probably been asked this question: “What would you have done? Could you have landed at an airport?”
From nearly the first hour of flight training, pilots are trained in “forced landings” (gliding in with the engine or engines out). Every pilot learns it, every pilot practices it.
But the choice of a suitable landing field is rarely clear-cut.
Mountains, Forests, or Ocean?
As a young bush pilot in Alaska, the prospect I constantly faced and contemplated while flying a single engine Cessna was the “Hobson’s Choice” of rugged mountains, tree-packed forests, freezing arctic waters, or rocky shorelines. While plying the soggy skies, I constantly searched for the best option, always changing—and almost no option was ever “ideal.”
This dire choice comes into play in my novel, The Last Bush Pilots.
In the case of the Hudson crash, the Captain elected “freezing waters,” rather than risk the hope of making it to a “shoreline” by overflying the “tree-packed forest” of a densely populated city.
For pilots, in general, would this be considered the “right” choice?
Keep Calm and Land the Plane
NTSB simulator runs of the accident proved only a 50% chance of successfully landing at an airport. The statement, “Could you have landed at the airport?” is almost a moot point. Would you bet your life—and those of your passengers—on 50/50 odds? Even Russian roulette offers you a better chance.
Lesson: No matter your experience level in the cockpit, nor equipment you fly, constantly be on the lookout for emergency landing fields. Contemplate the best choice(s) for any given situation. Practice simulated forced landings regularly.
Go for the sure thing, even if it is less than ideal, rather than risking all and hoping for the best. Droves of fatal accidents have been blamed on the pilot attempting to turn back to the runway—and falling heartbreakingly short—rather than landing straight ahead in, say, a farm field.
And, finally, learn to “think and fly outside the box”; the best landing field may not even be a “field.”
In Summary
There are plenty many more lessons we can learn from this—or any—accident. But the key takeaways we have discussed here are:
—When the geese hit the fan blades, keep calm and fly the plane.
—Always practice emergency procedures, and always be thinking of your worst-case scenario.
—Learn to think and fly “outside the box.” Go for the sure thing, even if it’s less than ideal, rather than hoping for the best.
—And, I say again…
Keep Calm and Fly the Plane!
Until Next Time…
This is Cap'n Aux
Flying Off!
Related Links
Related Links
- The Last Bush Pilots—Free Sample on Amazon
- The New “Sully” Movie: How Accurate? http://capnaux.com/new-sully-movie-going-for-rio16-gold/
- Blog: 9/9 and 9/11—https://airwaysmag.com/capnaux/99-and-911
- NTSB Report http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1003.pdf
- USAirways 1549 Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549
- Gone With the Hurricane http://capnaux.com/?p=8785
- There I Wuz! Pilots of the Caribbean http://capnaux.com/there-i-wuz-pilot-of-the-caribbean/
- Air Facts Journal Review of Sully Movie http://airfactsjournal.com/2016/09/sully-impossible-turn/
