Miracle & Myth

The flight was under the command of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, a former United States Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot with close to 20,000 flight hours and nearly 5,000 hours on the A320. At the time of the birdstrike, the aircraft was being flown by First Officer Jeff Skiles who was also highly experienced with around 15,000 hours, although this flight was his first on the A320 after completing his conversion training on to the twin-engine Airbus.

‘Together, the two pilots combined to keep their aircraft under control.’

With both engines failed, Sullenberger took control of the aircraft while Skiles began to run the checklists in an effort to restart the engines. It was effort that ultimately proved to be in vain. Together, the two pilots combined to keep their aircraft under control while options were assessed, and procedures followed. In the end, Sullenberger decided that a ditching in the Hudson River was the only real alternative.

With the decision made, he successfully glided the airliner onto the surface of the Hudson’s sub-zero waters. The A320 came to rest and the cabin crew speedily evacuated the 150 passengers who were shortly met by a combined flotilla of emergency responders and civilian vessels. In the aftermath, all survived with only a small number of passengers and crew sustaining injuries.

Such a remarkable outcome occurring only minutes after the A320 was crippled seemed to defy the odds and, as a consequence, the “miracle” label began to emerge in the media. However, it took some time before the details emerged to demonstrate that aviation “miracles” are actually founded in training, procedures and airmanship.

The human factor

Following the ditching of Cactus 1549, the crew were heralded for their efforts. In particular, Captain Sullenberger was held up as a shining example of the professional aviator. He came to be more commonly known as “Sully” and, to his credit, he emphasised the importance of the entire crew’s performance in achieving the successful outcome. As with any form of success, the background to the story is often less obvious and for the media, less exciting.

The experience level of the crew that day extended beyond the thousands of flight hours the pilots had accumulated. In the cabin, the three cabin crew attending to the passengers had a combined flying experience of 95 years. Undoubtedly, having such a veteran crew was of great benefit but beyond the sheer accumulation of hours in the air were the numerous training courses, check flights and procedures that were embedded within that time.

The strength of standard operating procedures, or SOPs, can be seen in a variety of areas when it came to the crew. In the first instance, for all of their combined experience, Sullenberger and Skiles were effectively strangers before the flight. Particularly in a large airline such as US Airways with its multiple bases, it is not unusual for pilots to be paired to fly together who are unknown to one another. In the case of Skiles, this was his first “line flight” after training. Even so, their procedures allowed them to immediately co-ordinate their roles to safely operate the A320 in both normal operations and in the emergency that befell them.

Yet even before this, on meeting, the crew had to strike a rapport. Having a cordial relationship from the outset is not merely for the purpose of having a nice day – it serves to create an environment where each and every member of the crew feels comfortable to raise concerns in the interest of safety. This is often discussed as one aspect of crew resource management (CRM) which, simplified, can be viewed as common sense and good manners. All of this needs to be established in the limited time available and sometimes that is as small as the window between signing on for duty and readying the aircraft for an on-time departure.

The timeframe was even more critical once the birdstrike occurred and the Airbus’s engines failed. Clear, concise communication was relayed between the pilots, to Air Traffic Control (ATC) and to the cabin. Additionally, the tasks of Pilot Flying (PF) and Pilot Not Flying (PNF), or monitoring, were unambiguous and communicated with a positive handover-takeover technique. As Sully flew the aircraft, Skiles ran the checklist but the two still communicated across the cockpit, not lost in their own roles and bolstering the overall situational awareness (SA) of the situation. Even Sully’s informal “got any ideas?” in the latter stages of the emergency exhibited open communication channels.

Still, even the best training cannot entirely prepare a crew fully for such an event and there is a growing awareness of the “startle factor” that takes place in an emergency. On one occasion when Sully was praised for his coolness under pressure he replied: “If you think I wasn’t startled, you misunderstand.”

The startle factor is also known as the “amygdala or limbic hijack”, referring to a region of the brain, and is a physical and mental reaction to sudden stimulus which instinctively challenges us to fight or flight. Its presence can impede our rational thought and function, until the balance within the brain returns. It is important at this time that a pilot doesn’t enact an ill-conceived response to the situation. Accordingly, thoroughly learned procedures and conditioning to startle situations in simulators can aid in a defence against the onset; although not entirely when confronted with situations such as those as experienced by the crew of Cactus 1549.

The ditching heard around the world

It seemed that the Airbus A320 had hardly come to rest then the story was being blinked around the globe. Television screens and Facebook feeds filled with images and interviews captured by film crews and smartphones alike. There were dramatic shots of the airliner, wheels up, descending and with the city skyline in the background, then the aircraft coming to a halt amid the spray of water before passengers made their way on to the wings, awaiting aid from the helicopters and boats making their way to the scene.

Normally, there are a few random screen grabs in the first few hours of an aviation incident before they are relegated to old news by a politician’s quote or a sportsperson’s latest scandal. This was not the case for the ditching on the Hudson. For once, corners of the broader media looked for greater depth and understanding of the story. Consequently, some insight was gained into the training and ongoing commitment of professional aircrew to maintain their standards and be at the ready should an emergency occur.

The aviation industry has always been subjected to poor reporting and a lack of understanding. Seat pitches are too small, queues are too long, flights are always delayed, and tickets cost too much. Not infrequently, aviation stories feature a burning wreck protruding from a roof and raise, once again, the issue of airports near a population. However, Flight 1549 was a virtual Trojan Horse of positivity. Yes, it was an air crash, but a successful one and in the Big Apple. There was a hero and thankful survivors. The emotion of the story paved the way for competent journalists to actually portray the facts and people were willing to listen.

More broadly, in the wake of the misery that had recently emerged out of New York in the form of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the successful water landing shone like a beacon of hope to the readership. In a world devastated by shady financial traders and dubious practices, here was a small band of professionals who had executed their duties to the utmost of their ability and saved lives. In doing so, the aviation industry was given a voice and Sully was its spokesperson.

The aftermath

Ten years after the event, the ditching of US Airways 1549 is still in the limelight. Possibly with the exception of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, no other aviation story has held the stage for so long in recent times. And in the case of MH370, it is an ongoing, unsolved mystery. There is little more that can be said about US Airways 1549 and yet it still captivates the world.

The crew have become celebrities and can be found on the speaking circuit but for all of the right reasons. They are humble and magnanimous in sharing any accolades and constantly highlight the benefits of training, experience and leadership.

Even before the Hudson, Sullenberger had been an advocate and consultant on aviation safety. The ditching allowed him to take his words to the US Senate in 2015 where he called for the retention of the 1,500-hour minimum to hold an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate. It is a stance that has divided certain stakeholders within the industry but there is no denting the veteran pilot’s credentials or sincerity.

His thoughts also reached readers through his book Highest Duty which, rather than solely dealing with flight 1549, looked back on his career and the lessons and values that preceded the fateful flight. Yet it was the 2016 release of the movie Sully that truly cast the story back in the spotlight. Entertaining and technically correct by the usual aviation film standards, the film was met with acclaim. However, Hollywood’s insistence on having a bad guy and casting the investigation of the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) in the role of the villain was not only inaccurate but misleading to the public.

Book deals, movies and speaking tours are not normally associated with commercial aviation and yet this has been the reality in the decade since the A320 ditched on the Hudson River. Its after-effects have been far-reaching and most significantly, in a positive sense for the industry. It is only a shame that it took a death-defying act of airmanship to gain the public’s attention.

The Miracle on the Hudson

Just 208 seconds elapsed from the initial birdstrike until the Airbus A320 was safely down on the Hudson River. Sully would reflect that he was concerned that his entire 20,000 hours were to be judged by that three and a half minutes. Perhaps they were but the overwhelming voice was one of admiration.

In those few minutes the cockpit was a crucible as the pilots guided their stricken airliner to an unlikely airfield. All the while the cabin crew yelled their mantra of “Heads Down! Stay Down!” to their passengers, many of whom probably ignored the safety briefing only minutes earlier. And when the aircraft came to rest, they evacuated the aircraft quickly and efficiently, uncertain of how long it would stay afloat.

For the crew of five, years of experience and training came down to a matter of minutes. There would be no second chances, and this was most definitely not a drill. Ultimately, the survival of all 150 lives in their care stemmed not solely from those 208 seconds but the many unseen years beforehand.

Yes, it was a miracle on the Hudson that day, but in aviation miracles don’t just happen.

‘Even the best training cannot entirely prepare a crew for such an event.’