The Real “Miracle” On The Hudson

CNN is reporting that US Airways has sent checks to all of the passengers on the flight for $5,000 plus the cost of their tickets. The $5,000 is for the luggage they may never see again, as it is impounded as evidence by the NTSB, as is probably waterlogged in any case.

The ditching and rescue were not “miracles”, that’s how these things are supposed to happen. The flight crew and first responders spend a lot of time practicing for these events as part of their job, and are professionals. [I was flight crew and a first responder.]

Ditching may be rare in commercial aviation, but the military has a lot of experience with the “event”. It was a “good landing”, because everyone survived. Disasters associated with ditching are normally because the aircraft lacks the speed or altitude to line up properly for the landing. Waves and having the landing gear still extended can also lead to disaster by causing the aircraft to tumble. This was essentially a routine, nose-high landing on water with the luxury of no obstacles and a long, straight landing area. The aircraft is air-tight, so there was a lot of flotation potential, and the slides on the front doors are pressurized for even more assistance. A gear up landing on land is much more dangerous, even with foam.

The Shuttles all land “dead stick”, i.e. without power, and they come in a hell of lot faster that an A320.  Calling this a “miracle” is saying that you think the flight crew and first responders are incompetent, and can’t be expected to do their jobs.  As for invoking G-d, if G-d were so interested in the people on that aircraft, why were the birds allowed to crash into it?

The real “miracle” was the rapid disbursement of those checks, as anyone who has ever had their flight canceled or luggage lost will tell you.