U.S. plane ditches in New York's Hudson River, all 155 safe

Photo Ed: U.S. plane ditches in NY's Hudson River

The Airbus with 150 passengers and five crew lost power in both engines almost simultaneously, a highly rare event, just minutes after take-off from LaGuardia Airport outside New York City.

Initial reports from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) suggested the planes engines stopped after a collision with birds, but this was not immediately confirmed. Terrorism was ruled out.

Incredibly, there were no fatalities.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was "not aware of any serious injuries".

One crew member suffered a cut to her leg and many passengers sought treatment for exposure to icy temperatures, CNN reported.

As many as eight ferries and water taxis rushed to rescue passengers, some of whom lined up on the half-submerged plane's wings wearing yellow life vests, before police boats arrived.

PILOT HAILED A HERO

Identified by U.S. media as Chesley Sullenberger III, 57, the former fighter pilot was praised by survivors and officials for bringing the Airbus down safely in the river just off Manhattan.

The soft landing allowed passengers to successfully evacuate from the stricken craft and saw Sullenberger swiftly dubbed "The Hero of the Hudson".

"It would appear that the pilot did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river, and then making sure that everybody got out," Bloomberg was quoted by AFP as telling reporters.

"I had a long conversation with the pilot. He walked the plane twice after everybody else was off. And tried to verify that there was nobody else onboard. And assures us there were not.

"The first and most important thing is, this pilot did a wonderful job, and it would appear that all roughly 155, including crew and one infant, got out safely," Bloomberg said.

New York Governor David Paterson added: "We've had a miracle on the Hudson."

Passengers also praised the pilot’s actions when the Airbus A320 was forced to make a watery crash-landing after taking off on its flight from New York to Charlotte, North Carolina.

President George W. Bush said in a statement he was "inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew, as well as the dedication and selflessness of the emergency responders."

FLOCK OF BIRDS

Investigators arrived in New York late Thursday to inspect the wreckage.

Early indications pointed to a disastrous collision between at least one engine and birds, which are widespread in the flight paths outside New York.

"There were reports of a large flock of birds in the area," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. "But we don’t have any indication that this was the cause."

Bloomberg said there was "absolutely no indication whatsoever" of a terrorist attack.

The Hudson River crash comes 27 years and two days after an Air Florida Boeing 737-222 airliner crashed into the 14th Street bridge in Washington and plunged into the Potomac River immediately after takeoff in a snow storm on Jan. 13, 1982.

The accident killed 78 people, including four motorists on the bridge.