Raising the Miracle On the Hudson From the Bottom of the River

This series of photos showing the raising of the “Miracle on the Hudson” USAirways jet from the bottom of the river were forwarded to me today. I can’t know for sure where they came from, but the body of the email indicated they were taken by the crane operator lifting the Airbus out of the Hudson River and went on to say:

“Note that only one engine was sheared off, not both… And considering that landing in water is like landing on concrete, not a whole lotta damage to the Airbus fuselage… Musta been one helluva great splash landing.”

Toward the end of the series, note the cracked nose of the fuselage. Hard to believe it didn’t sink outright. Now it’s off to Jersey City, where it will undergo extensive inspection and investigation. Really remarkable photos.

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Tugs bring in the barge on which the raised jet will be placed
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Crane lowers apparatus that will bring the plane up
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Crew prepares to raise the aircraft
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Tugboat upon which the crane is mounted
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The tail of the jet begins to emerge from the frigid waters of the Hudson
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A little higher....
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Fuselage begins to appear....
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More of the fuselage is revealed....
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Side view of the front of the fuselage and nose
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Wings begin to appear as the raising continues
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Both wings now clearly visible
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Hosing the mud from the river off the wing
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Note the crack in the nose....
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And one sheared off engine
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Moving the jet over to the barge
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Coming to rest on the barge
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Carefully, carefully....
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How did this thing NOT sink with everyone in it???
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LOOK at that engine!

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Off to Jersey City, where it will be examined with a fine tooth comb

3 thoughts on “Raising the Miracle On the Hudson From the Bottom of the River”

  1. The miracle on Hudson was truly a miracle in its own right. I just have to wonder what would have happened if its was charter flights that went down instead of a commercial flight? Do you think there would have been as much media, help, and aid? Just a question about the difference between charter flights and commercial flights.

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  2. That this had a happy ending is truly amazing…these are incredible photos. I’m surprised they allowed the public to be so close.

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