Plane reported down in Hudson River

[Missy]

Plane reported down in Hudson River

January 15, 2009 2:52 PM

A US Airways plane has crashed into the Hudson River, sending passengers fleeing for safety in the frigid waters.

New York City firefighters are responding to the crash. It was not immediately clear if there were injuries.

Witness Barbara Sambriski, a researcher at The Associated Press, said, "I just thought, 'Why is it so low?' And, splash, it hit the water."

CNN reported the plane is US Airways flight No. 1549 and showed footage of the jet in the water surrounded by several ferries with helicopters overhead.

According to the US Airways Web site, the flight departed LaGuardia International Airport at 3:03 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Charlotte at 5:16 p.m.

Check back for frequent updates.

Source

Here's an image from someone who was there.

[Missy]

Update:

The New York Times is reporting the flight had 146 passengers and five crew members on board. The Times, citing a local TV news report, said the plane may have hit a flock of birds and the pilot was attempting to return to the airport.

It looks like the site the image is on isn't loading properly, probably due to heavy traffic. Just trust me when I say it's scary.

[Missy]

CNN has posted a video of the rescue operation.

EDIT 1: And now the video isn't working either. I think it might have been live footage, so the feed might be down for now.

EDIT 2: Okay, it wasn't a live feed, but the video is up on the front page of CNN.com right now.

Edited January 15, 2009 by Yoda