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Home › Politics

Politics | 01/20/2009 10:30 am

'Miracle Flight' Had Problems Two Days Prior to Splash Landing

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

It turns out that the US Airways jet that landed in the Hudson River last week didn’t just have a problem with birds.

New reports out today say that Flight 1549 had engine compressor failure just two days before heroic pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed the Airbus 320 in the water, saving everyone aboard. [Click here to read wOw’s tribute to Sullenberger.] The compressor, or fan, brings air into the engine to maintain a certain pressure. The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that its examination of the plane’s maintenance records show "there was an entry in the aircraft’s maintenance log that indicates a compressor stall occurred on January 13."

But NTSB investigators so far have not uncovered "any anomalies or malfunctions with Flight 1549" from the time it left LaGuardia Airport to the time Sullenberger reported a bird strike and loss of engine power, the spokesman said.

CNN reported Monday that passengers on Flight 1549 say they heard loud bangs and scrapings right before the emergency landing announcement. Such sounds are common with compressor failures. But passengers said the situation calmed down and they continued on to Charlotte, NC. Those details, however, shed new light on last week’s crash — and will surely complicate the investigation.

Read more about: Chesley B. Sullenberger III, Crash, Flight 1549, Hudson River, LaGuardia, New York, News, U.S., US Airways

7 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

John G
It’s a machine, a very complex machine with (most likely) millions of parts, many of which, if they fail, would be catastrophic. When problems are discovered we rely upon the aircraft maintenance personnel to correct them. That the captain was not-so-uniquely qualified (at least I hope that qualification is ubiquitous) to get the plane safely down is the story here, not that planes fail.
By John G on 01/20/2009 10:44 am
Belinda Joy
Okay I need to hang up a shingle as a psychic, because honest to goodness I said when I first heard the story about it being birds, “there had to be something else wrong with the plane….it couldn’t have been just the birds”
By Belinda Joy on 01/20/2009 10:54 am
Chrome Toe
Belinda.. I just read this.. read my post below. I don’t get the psychic shingle though. i get the “has some common sense” shingle.
By Chrome Toe on 01/20/2009 9:23 pm
Brooklyn Gal
I was once on a Spirit flight where there was mechanical difficulties and we had to leave the plane. The next plane also had difficulties with the instruments, which took time to repair. For the life of me, I don’t know why I didn’t leave that 2nd flight. Thankfully we arrived safely, but I have to wonder how many of these planes are fixed with spit and glue. Many, many years ago my friend dated an airline mechanic, and the things he told her would make the hairs on your arms rise.
By Brooklyn Gal on 01/20/2009 12:19 pm
Lorraine Bates
I take 6-8 flights a month and - knock wood - never had an emergency situation while in the air. But I always look at the plate mounted in the doorway when I board a plane, because it shows the date the plane was built. It makes me nervous if the plane is more than 10 years old, I must say.
By Lorraine Bates on 01/20/2009 12:26 pm
Grande Camper
So do we need to have more guidelines for the mechanics? Maybe airlines should retire more older airplanes rather than all way focusing on the profits.
By Grande Camper on 01/20/2009 1:29 pm
Chrome Toe
I don’t know if anyone on this site recalls that on the very first thread posted about this crash I stated that I hated flying US Air (which i do a LOT because they have direct flights to Phoenix) because of their surly flight attendants and dirty planes. I told my husband that I would not be surprised if this was not birds at all but mechanical problems. any airline that can’t even keep the seats on their planes clean, the bathrooms clean and the flight attendants not looking like they just rolled out of bed… certainly can’t be trusted to maintain their planes. I will not ever fly them again.
By Chrome Toe on 01/20/2009 9:21 pm