A passenger jet with 153 people on board tonight crashed landed into the Hudson River in New York.
The US Airways Airbus A320 came down after hitting a flock of birds, disabling both of its engines.
It landed intact and passengers started fleeing into the freezing waters as boats flocked to the scene to help.
More than a dozen people wearing yellow life vests were seen on the wings of the downed plane as it floated in the river. The plane was carrying 148 passengers and five crew and had just taken off from La Guardia Airport.
New York City fire-fighters, federal transportation officials and an armada of boats responded to the accident.
“I just thought, ’Why is it so low?’ And, splash, it hit the water,” said witness Barbara Sambriski.
The plane was initially submerged in the icy waters up to the windows and rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane.
The plane then slowly sank into the river.
One passenger said there had been an explosion a few minutes after the plane took off.
Jeff Kolodjay, from Norwalk, Connecticut, said: “The engine blew. There was fire everywhere and it smelled like gas. People were bleeding all over. We hit the water pretty hard. It was scary.”
Another passenger told CNN: “I was standing on the left wing for a little while.
“I did see the engine flame out and it seemed either to be on fire or smoking.”
Jeff Koladjay was one of the first passengers picked up by a liferaft. “I’m wet from my waist down, it’s a little cold in New York right now,” he told The Times.
“It was really scary, the plane filled with water really quick. The guys on the plane did a great job of getting women and children off first. Kudos to the pilot and kudos to the people who got us off the boats.
“I’m just really happy that everyone on that plane lived. It ain’t gonna be a golf trip, but thank God we’re alive.” Stiro Katehs and his father witnessed the emergency landing as they drove down 77th street
“My father said: ‘Look, there’s a plane falling’. It was gliding, gliding, gliding, then it hit the water at Pier 83. When it hit the water it erupted just like a volcano,” Mr Katehs said.
“It hit the water in the Hudson at the end of 47th street and has now floated down as far as 40th street.”
The aircraft was submerged initially in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews opened the door and pulled passengers from the aircraft. It then sank slowly into the river. Laura Brown, a Federal Aviation Administration official, confirmed that the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off en route to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the crash occurred.
“There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident,” Laura Keehner, a Homeland Security official, said.
LaGuardia airport has a long history of aircraft ending up in the river. The runways are built out over the water and have been criticised repeatedly for being too short. The New York authorities decided it would be too costly to extend them.
*In 1992, 27 people died when a US Air Fokker F28 toppled into the river at the end of the runway after struggling to take off because of ice on the wings. The water was only five feet deep but the fuselage broke up and turned upside down.
*In 1989, a US Air flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, the same destination as the aircraft in yesterday’s crash, rolled into the East River after aborting take-off. Three people died.
*In 1959, an American Airlines aircraft crashed on approach into the East River, killing 65 of the 73 people on board.
US Airways Airbus A320 crash lands in New York’s Hudson River – Times Online
