Summary
Remember that incredible day in January 2009 when an Airbus A320 airliner full of passengers gracefully landed in New York’s Hudson River alongside the city’s towering skyscrapers and river boats?
In what was an amazing feat of piloting by captain Chelsey Sullenberger (“Sully”) and his copilot Jeffrey Skiles, all 155 on board survived the water landing and evacuation and lived to tell the tale.
The event has gone on to occupy a rightful place in folklore and history, sparking books, articles and even a fantastic film.
But what happened to the aircraft after getting its feet wet that day? Read on to find out.
The Miracle on the Hudson
Flight 1549 was a scheduled service from New York LaGuardia to Charlotte, NC, operating on 15 January 2009.
Following a normal departure, as the aircraft was climbing away it encountered a flock of geese which were ingested into both engines.
As a result, the extremely unlikely scenario occurred where both engines flamed out, no longer producing enough thrust to keep the aircraft climbing or flying level.
Given the sudden nature of the event, whilst still flying relatively low to the ground, the crew were forced to think quickly and plan a safe landing.
Judging a return to LaGuardia to likely be unsuccessful, the captain initially elected to land at Teterboro airport in New Jersey – a few miles ahead.
However, it soon became clear that their rate of descent would also make this landing unlikely, with built up areas all around that airport.
The only other option, which was chosen, was the wide Hudson River as it flowed along the western side of Manhattan.
Captain Sullenberger took control of the aircraft, with the crew running through what checklists they could, whilst maintaining the correct speed and angle-of-attack for a water landing.
Shortly after, the aircraft touched down in the river, coming to a halt shortly after.
Nearby ferry boats and other craft quickly sprung to the rescue of the passengers, which were evacuating the aircraft onto inflatable rafts and the wings. All were safely rescued.
The Aircraft
Edmund Seeger, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The aircraft involved in the Miracle on the Hudson landing was an Airbus A320-214 operated by US Airways.
It was built in 1999 and had the tail number N106US. Its construction number was 1044.
The aircraft had operated for the airline its whole life, and had accrued 16,299 cycles (take-offs and landings) before its final watery flight.
Where is it today?
After the event, news coverage and months of unpacking by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), it seems many people forgot about the aircraft itself.
Following the landing on the Hudson, the A320 was towed to a nearby wharf where it was tied up, and soon sank to the bottom with only its nose showing.
It was lifted from the water on 17th January and moved to Kearney, NJ, for investigation work.
For the next two years the future of the aircraft was uncertain, with no buyers coming forward in a public auction. It was later decided to donate it to the Carolinas Aviation Museum at Charlotte, and was transported there.
Sullenberger Aviation Museum
Following a period of closure while the museum was refurbished and rebranded, the aircraft is now preserved and on display at what has become the Sullenberger Aviation Museum, which reopened on 1 June 2024.
The aircraft naturally takes pride of place on display at the museum.
The wings and engines have been removed, leaving only the fuselage. However, interestingly you can still see many of the scars of its landing on the nose where various bumps and scratches are still evident.
The museum also features a wide variety of military, commercial and civilian aircraft. In addition, it maintains an extensive collection of books, periodicals, photographs, uniforms and other aviation related materials.
It is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-4.30pm, and Sunday from midday-4.30pm; closed on Mondays.
Visit https://www.sullenbergeraviation.org/ for more information.
Title image (c) Sullenberger Aviation Museum
