The Excellence Habit

Description

Within two minutes of takeoff, US Airways Flight 1549 lost both its engines. At an altitude of 2,818 feet, the aircraft hit a flock of Canadian geese and started to lose airspeed while still climbing. At that moment, Captain Sully Sullenberger took the controls over from the first officer Jeffrey Skiles, and the crew started exploring options for an emergency landing. The date was January 15, 2009, and there were 150 passengers and five crewmembers onboard. Nobody knows exactly how many options went through Captain Sully’s mind at that moment. His years of service as a fighter pilot, airline pilot, safety expert, and a glider pilot certainly played a big role in what happened in the next three minutes. In a calm tone of voice and with brief statements, Captain Sully informed ground control about the aircraft’s situation and requested emergency assistance. The controllers on the tower quickly offered a few options. In a concise manner, the captain rejected returning to LaGuardia or going to Newark. “We’ll be in the Hudson!” is the last we hear from the recording of that radio exchange.