Hudson River Landing . . . this photo says it all.
This morning when I opened my newspaper at breakfast and saw this photo, my thought was this photo says it all and may be one of the best of the entire crash landing into the Hudson. Although a bit grainy as it is a newspaper photo, it gives a pretty clear picture of their situation and was the photo that spoke volumes about that near tragedy.
The passengers are on each wing, some standing knee to hip deep in frigid water, appearing to balance the plane because of their fairly equal numbers on the wings. I, along with hundreds of thousands of people was relieved to know all the people were able to escape with almost no injuries. They were grateful to be alive and thankful for their pilot's extraordinary skill and judgment in landing on the river and to God for keeping them safe. The co-pilot and all flight personnel I'm sure also did everything in their power to get the passengers to safety. With no intent to take away from the Pilot's skill and courage, we don't always remember to include the support personnel in the accolades afforded the pilot. When this sort of thing happens, even the news media begins bringing God into the conversation, which is very rare.
My youngest son lands in and flies between LaGuardia and Charlotte fairly often in his job and this crash and the possibility of other crashes because of the geese will always be a concern in my mind and that of anyone flying from/into that airport. Although the danger is not limited to that airport at all, apparently, the river is home or a stopping point for many water fowl.
I'm certain there are many thankful family members and co-workers of those survivors. It was one of the plane crash news stories with a good ending and that in itself, was awesome. Let's all be thankful for the outcome . . . 146+ lives spared by the quick thinking of that Pilot.
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