The Miracle on the Hudson River

On Jan. 15, 2009, 150 passengers and three flight attendants aboard Flight 1549 placed their trust in
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. On Tuesday Jan 2019, 10 years after surviving the plane crash
dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson,” they’re still in disbelief they left the plane that day unscathed.
“It was a one-in-a-billion chance, is what a lot of us say, that we’re here today. So we feel like we’re on
our second life and we’re 10 years old,” Barry Leonard, a passenger on the flight, said on “Fox &
Friends” on Tuesday.

The plane took off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport in January 2009, but collided with a flock of
geese that caused both engines to stop shortly after. Sullenberger, who said he couldn’t return to the
airport, opted for an emergency landing and landed the passenger jet on the frigid waters of the
Hudson River. He took the decision in a split second, as there was no time to go back to La Guardia. His
famous words were: “this is the captain speaking. Brace for impact”.

Everyone on the plane survived.

This Jan. 15, 2009 photo shows a diver, left, aboard an NYPD vessel prepares to rescue passengers that escaped from the Airbus 320 US Airways
aircraft made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in New York in what came to be known as the "Miracle on the Hudson" because
everyone survived. (AP)

Denise Lockie, a survivor, said she feared the worst when she smelled smoke in the cabin.
“When I heard the first noise and there was this horrendous smell…the first thing that came to my
mind, of course being in Manhattan, was there was a terrorist attack,” Lockie said. “I had absolutely no
idea it was a bird strike because I wasn’t looking out the window.”
Lockie said she her first thought was, “I was too young to die.”
“But I also knew that it was more than likely not going to really have a positive ending,” she added.

Martin Sosa, another survivor, reflected on the “Miracle on the Hudson” on the 10th anniversary of
the emergency splashdown on Tuesday.

“The emotions never quite go away. At first, it was disbelief mixed with anger but equally incredible
gratitude to have survived such a life-altering experience,” Sosa, now 58, told The Post in an email
Monday. “As surreal as the experience was, it brought out the best in humanity as witnessed by the
selfless efforts of so many men and women who came to our rescue without thinking twice about their
safety. I am grateful to all of them.”

Captain Sullenberger managed to pull off a miracle when the plane splashed down on the river at 3:31
p.m. One flight attendant and four passengers were hurt, but everyone else was mostly fine.

Sullenberger, 67 and now retired, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” he feels like he’s part of “living
history.”

"I think about not only what we did but what everybody else did," Sullenberger said. "All the pieces
had to come together. This group of strangers had to rise to the occasion and make sure that they
saved every life."

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

1. What caused the plane to lose both engines?

2. How did the passengers realise there was something wrong?
3. What words did the captain pronounce to inform passengers of the emergency landing?
4. How many years have passed now since the crash?
5. How has that incident changed the lives of the people involved and of the Captain?
6. Retell the whole story in your words.