Aircraft / Airline involved - US Airways Flight 1549. The aircraft type was an Airbus A320.
When did the Accident Occur? - Thursday, January 15, 2009 at approximately 3pm (EST).
Description of the Accident - Airbus A320 was en route to Charlotte from LaGuardia with 150 passengers onboard and 5 crew members.
- Sub-freezing temperature outside.
- Shortly after take-off, en route to Charlotte from New York's Laguardia, the plane hit a flock of geese, causing damage to the plane.
- Damage incurred led the pilot to perform an emergency landing over water.
- Aircraft stayed intact upon impact.
- Passengers and crew rescued from the wings of the plane.
Number of Fatalities / Injured - No fatalities. Although it appears that several injuries occurred, incredibly everyone was rescued from the sinking airplane.
Suspected / Confirmed Cause of the Accident - Suspected cause is a bird strike - airplane hit a flock of geese which caused damage to at least an engine and possibly the fuselage (body of the aircraft). It's been reported that the pilot advised air traffic control that he had hit a flock of birds a few miles from the airport.
Further Details and Contacts
"'US Airways Care' team of specially trained employee volunteers to assist those affected by this accident. Individuals who believe they may have family members on board flight 1549 may call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States. This number can be reached toll-free from international locations through AT&T’s USADirect®. To contact an AT&T operator, please visit http://www.usa.att.com/traveler for USADirect® access codes."
