June 9, 2009

Federal investigators looking into the splash landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River heard testimony Tuesday morning from the plane’s pilot.

Captain Chesley Sullenberger appeared before the National Transportation Safety Board during the first day of hearings into the splash landing of Flight 1549.

The NTSB is looking into several issues, including the ability of airplane engines to withstand bird strikes, and pilot training for when both engines fail.

“We must learn from this accident,” said Robert Sumwalt of the NTSB. “Not only what went right, but what might be able to improve on it and learn from it so that it can be improved even more so next time”.

Investigators have determined that a flock of Canada geese hit Flight 1549 on January 15th, causing the plane to lose thrust in both engines. The Airbus A320 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport and had climbed to about 3,000 feet when it was hit.

Sullenberger decided to ditch the plane on the Hudson, rather than risk crashing in a densely populated area.

All 155 people on board survived.

Sullenberger credited his long experience as a pilot with helping him make accurate decisions when deciding where to land the plane with minimal damage.

He also said training is needed to provide every crew with the ability to act as quickly and effectively as the crew of 1549.

“Immediately after the aircraft stopped, a second of reflection before we began the evacuation duties, First Officer Skiles and I turned to each other and at almost the same time said, ‘well that wasn’t as bad as I thought,’” testified Sullenberger.

The NTSB also heard from passenger Billy Campbell, who was seated in the second-to-last row of the plane. He said he struggled over seats to get to the front, his only shot at survival.

Campbell said the engine he saw out his window was a “bonfire” after the bird strike.

NTSB says no determination of cause will be rendered during the hearing

The Federal Aviation Administration is testing bird-detecting radar that may help airports manage nearby bird populations. And some experts have suggested aircraft engines should be designed to withstand bigger birds.

Meanwhile, inspection of pilot training is expected to be increased for regional airlines amid scrutiny over the February crash of a Continental flight from Newark to Buffalo.

Better cockpit discipline and other safety improvements are also on the agenda at a meeting with federal transportation officials and the airline industry set for next week.

Testimony at an NTSB hearing on the crash of Continental Flight 3407 last month showed several errors in the cockpit, as well as a lack of training for the captain and fatigue for the co-pilot.

The plane experienced an aerodynamic stall before crashing February 12th, killing all 49 people on board, and one person on the ground.