Miracle on the Hudson

The stretch of the Hudson River you are looking toward served as the improbable runway for US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. Shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, the Airbus A320 struck a flock of Canada geese, which caused both engines to fail instantly. With no remaining thrust and an altitude too low to reach any nearby airports, Captain Chesley Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles made the decision to glide the aircraft onto the surface of the river. The plane touched down near 48th Street, effectively turning the busy waterway into an emergency landing strip.