The US media had been full of reports this week that its carriers had gone two years without a fatality. Amazingly this record continues, with all 155 passengers surviving yesterday’s US Airways Hudson River crash.
Reports suggest that the Airbus A320’s engines suffered a double bird strike, forcing it to ditch into the river just minutes after taking off from La Guardia airport.
The crash happened at around 1500 local time, with ferries arriving on the scene within minutes to rescue stranded passengers, many of whom stood on thw wings of the half-submerged plane to avoid the cold waters of the Hudson.
Earlier this week the US media reported that for the first time since the dawn of the jet airliner, US carriers have gone two years without a fatality. Indeed according to research by the Air Transport Association, a single year without fatalities has only happened four times since 1958.
For more information visit usairways.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
