Passengers Recall Miraculous Emergency Landing on Hudson

by Aimee Herd : Jan 18, 2009 : Staff - NBC Today Show

"Everyone was really helping each other; it was amazing."

The day after Thursday's miraculous emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, four of the passengers were interviewed on NBC's Today Show—their accounts of the harrowing event were remarkable.

All of the survivors interviewed hailed the pilot, Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III (AKA: "Sully") for the incredible way he was able to bring the plane down safely on the frigid river water.

"We owe our lives to him," said one passenger, whose father was also on the plane. "We'd like to say a big 'thank you' to him."

Another passenger said, "At the very end, when [the pilot] came onto the raft; he was so humble… I leaned over and sort of grabbed his arm and said, 'I'd just like to thank you on behalf of all of us.' He just said, 'You're welcome.' It was a pretty stunning moment."

The survivors recounted how prayer was prevalent throughout the cabin after the captain had announced that everyone should "brace for impact." One woman said, "I'm a born-again Christian and when I heard that, I ducked down and I started to pray."

The passengers told of a "calmness" that prevailed over the people as they began to get out of the sinking plane and out onto the wing for rescue. "Everyone was really helping each other; it was amazing," said a survivor.

One very poignant moment in the interview came when a passenger talked about what he overheard just before he was rescued.

"The co-pilot, in his own conversation just before we left, told the pilot, 'Y'know Sully, no one's ever had a successful ditch before. You pulled it off,'" he said.

Watch the video report from the Today Show by accessing the source link provided.

   

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