Deadstick Over the Hudson: Teterboro Considered?

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As US Airways Flight 1549 turned west over the Hudson River and reported loss of power in both engines, the crew calmly discussed its options with ATC. According to a CNN report, an official who heard ATC recordings of the event, one landing option briefly discussed was nearby Teterboro Airport, which is close by the Hudson and about 8 miles northwest of LaGuardia Airport. “There was no panic, no hysterics,” the official told CNN. “It was professional, it was calm, it was methodical. It was everything you hoped it could be.”

The crew was widely praised for its skill in putting the airplane into water, but the quick action of New York Waterway ferry crews and emergency services are being credited with saving the survivors from exposure injuries. Ferry captain Brittany Catanzo told CBS News that she “had to do a double take” when she saw the airplane impact, but knew immediately what to do. “We have to do man overboard, and we’re constantly drilling. Constantly,” she told CBS. “And when something comes, you already know how to take effect and how to put everything together, so it just went very smoothly.” Her ferry crew eventually pulled 24 people from the stricken aircraft. Other ferries and Coast Guard, fire and police vessels rescued the remaining survivors.

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