US Airways Flight 1549: Brace Positions and the Hudson Escape
The short version
This short Smithsonian Channel clip looks at Flight 1549 from the cabin. Passengers describe preparing for the water landing on the Hudson in January 2009, and safety experts explain the brace position, the danger of cold water and why the aircraft's slide/rafts mattered. All 155 people on board survived.
Full written account
This four-minute Smithsonian Channel clip uses US Airways Flight 1549 to explain what passengers can do to survive an emergency landing. It is told mainly by passengers and a cabin safety expert, not the pilots.
Brace for impact
After the bird strike shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia, Captain Sullenberger and First Officer Skiles realise they cannot reach an airport, and the captain announces "Brace for impact." A safety expert explains why the brace position matters and why many passengers in other accidents did not know it because they had not read the safety card. The narrator describes the position: knees together, feet flat on the floor, body bent as far forward as possible.
Thinking ahead
Passenger Clay Presley describes counting the rows to the exits in case the cabin filled with water. Others recall the moment of impact, when it looked as if the aircraft was heading for the bottom of the river before it rose and settled, rocking in the waves.
Cold water and slide/rafts
The expert explains that the river water in January would have caused hypothermia quickly, numbing hands and feet. The aircraft had slide/rafts rather than plain slides at the forward doors, so passengers could leave the aircraft and stay out of the water while they waited for the boats. The clip ends with everyone on board brought to safety.
The Mentour Pilot explainer on this page covers what happened in the cockpit.
Questions this video answers
Where was US Airways Flight 1549 going?
US Airways Flight 1549 departed New York's LaGuardia Airport in January 2009, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina.
What caused the engine power loss?
A line of birds was very close ahead and slightly to the right shortly after takeoff, and the aircraft lost all engines as a result of birds.
Why did the crew land on the Hudson?
Captain Sully Sullenberger and first officer Jeffrey Skiles realized they could not reach any nearby airport without engine power, so they landed on the Hudson River.
Did everyone survive?
Yes. All 150 passengers and the entire crew were brought to safety.
What is the proper brace position?
Knees together, feet flat on the floor, body bent as far forward as possible, with arms wrapped under the legs or braced against the seat in front.
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