In less than five minutes from takeoff from New York's La Guardia Airport, a US Airways Airbus with 155 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River. The aircraft had collided with a flock of Canadian Geese, resulting in the loss of both engines. Thanks to the swift response of the pilot who realized that he could not set down at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, all the people on board survived.
Once the pilot's decision was made, he quickly warned the passengers to prepare themselves for a hard landing, and proceeded to head for the Hudson River. Once he barely avoided the George Washington Bridge, he brought the craft down in the river. With a few bumps and bruises and some minor injuries, the passengers and crew were able to calmly exit onto the wings and were rescued by life rafts and awaiting boats.
To quote a witness , this incident was truly a 'disaster with a happy ending'.
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