It’s been ten years since an incident involving US Airways Flight 1549 was called “Miracle on the Hudson.”
“On January 15, 2009, US Airways Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger became an overnight hero when he and his crew safely ditched a commercial airliner in the freezing waters of the Hudson River after an unlucky encounter with a flock of geese. All 155 passengers and crew aboard survived….” (Conde’ Naste Traveler)
It’s been the subject of countless news stories, books, and a Clint Eastwood movie, “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart, and is still remembered by many of us. True stories with life-and-death drama and real-life heroes usually are memorable.
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and first officer Jeffrey Skiles had precious few seconds to plan and execute a safe landing of the plane. A portion of the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey was quickly deemed the best choice for an emergency landing. Miraculously all on board survived (with only five serious injuries).
“What’s remarkable is how quickly everything happened, especially given the outcome. Two minutes after taking off from LaGuardia airport, the plane ran into the flock of Canada geese. The birds hit both engines, creating the near total loss of thrust…. The plane was just 2,800 feet up and nowhere near its cruising speed — meaning the pilots had, maximum, a few minutes to find a safe path to the ground.
That left the river below them, which was in fact a rather fine choice. That part of the Hudson is about 4,000 feet wide, so the pilots didn’t have to come down perfectly parallel to the waterway like they would on a 150-foot-wide runway. It’s a whole lot longer, too, so they wouldn’t have to worry about overrunning it if they came down too late. And while water’s not as smooth as a paved runway, it’s an acceptable place to touch down in a pinch.”
(Alex Davies, “Wired”)
“The NTSB concludes that the captain’s decision to ditch on the Hudson River rather than attempting to land at an airport provided the highest probability that the accident would be survivable.”
I have hope when heroes like “Sully” Sullenberger and Skiles are identified. They did their best that could be done, and lives were saved. It’s been called a miracle, and I agree. I think it was a beautiful and providential pairing: divine assistance with two people ready to participate in the miraculous during a fleeting moment in time.
Surely survivors were thankful, and they may live with more hope than before they experienced the miracle up close and personal. Considering how a seemingly ordinary event on an ordinary day with ordinary people can in seconds turn into an extraordinary need for a miracle, I’ll try to live in hope and will continue to pray.
I’ll place my hope in Sovereign God as my pilot and pray for a miracle. Then if I survive may I be faithful to abide in the Creator and Sustainer of life. If I don’t survive, then He’ll take me home, and either way it’s a win for me.
“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”
(Psalm 103:19)
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33: 4)
“Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from Whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”
(I Corinthians 8: 6)
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
(Colossians 1: 17)