Lessons of river ditching sought
WASHINGTON — Should airliners be tough enough to withstand collisions with big birds? What about an unexpected plunge into a river?
Those are among the concerns likely to be raised today when the National Transportation Safety Board meets to consider safety lessons from last year's ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River.
The plane collided with a flock of Canada geese shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport. Geese were sucked into both engines, knocking out their power. The flight's captain, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, made a split-second decision to glide the Airbus A320 into the river rather than risk crashing in a densely populated area by trying to reach an airport.
A rupture near the plane's tail sent water gushing into the cabin. All 155 passengers and crew aboard managed to escape the sinking aircraft.
The safety board has long been troubled by the danger to aviation posed by growing populations of many large bird species, including Canada geese, snow geese and white pelicans. The engines on the ditched airliner were designed to withstand a collision with a bird weighing up to 4 pounds. Some more recent jet engines are required to withstand a bird weighing up to 8 pounds.
But a large Canada goose can weigh almost twice that much.
"They've got to deal with the certification standards for these engines based on the size of these birds," said former NTSB board member Kitty Higgins.
Higgins, who represented NTSB in New York in the early stages of its investigation into the Jan. 15, 2009, accident, said the board considered recommending to the Federal Aviation Administration last summer that aircraft engines be required to withstand the impact of larger birds.
However, a decision was made to defer a recommendation until the investigation into Flight 1549 was complete, she said.
Another concern was that damage to the A320 from the force of hitting the river prevented the rear escape slides from being used to evacuate passengers — a serious problem could have proved costly if circumstances had been a little different, Higgins said.
Air crashes involving water landings have become so unusual — especially for planes not flying over the ocean — that until Flight 1549 there had been little emphasis on preparing for them. Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles were praised after the accident for their quick judgment, precision flying and teamwork.
It's likely the board will consider whether pilots should receive simulator training for water landings, Higgins said.
