1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,840 -As human beings, we all know we're going to die 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,320 but you never think it's going to be today. 5 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:16,880 We always assume we've got a tomorrow, 6 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:17,920 we've got a next month, 7 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,800 we've got a next year and all of a sudden, 8 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,640 that was not a true assumption anymore. 9 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,040 -Sully gives the command that, "this is the Captain, brace for impact!" 10 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,520 -I don't think many people hear those words and 11 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,600 are here to talk about it afterwards. 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,840 -And I said, "May I hold your baby?" 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,280 -I kept screaming, "Go, don't stop moving. 14 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,360 You got to get off this plane." 15 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:00,200 You say to yourself, this is really happening, I'm about to die. 16 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,200 ♪ ♪ 17 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,960 PAM: I'm standing on the bank of a river. 18 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,600 There's a gentleman standing next to me, I don't know who this gentleman is 19 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,840 and we're watching a plane take off. 20 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,240 There's smoke coming out of the engines. 21 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:41,640 I ask, "What's happening? 22 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,240 The man next to me says, "I don't know." 23 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,760 I see this plane disappear behind the horizon 24 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,160 and then suddenly a cloud of smoke comes up. 25 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,840 It frightened me, it woke me up. 26 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,440 That day I was scheduled for an afternoon flight 27 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,200 but I kept thinking about that dream. 28 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,040 I kept thinking, 'I shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be doing it.' 29 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,200 The gate agent was reaching out for my boarding pass, 30 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:23,440 I couldn't do it. 31 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,240 I'm sorry I can't do this. 32 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,120 That dream was frightening me too badly. 33 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:30,960 I turned around and walked away. 34 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,400 Got back in my car and drove home. 35 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:37,800 That night I was watching television. 36 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,320 I was absolutely convinced that I was going to turn on the news 37 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:43,200 and see something had happened. 38 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,200 And of course it didn't. 39 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,360 So I dismissed it as myself just being silly. 40 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,120 And on January the 15th, I headed out the door. 41 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:57,320 And was on my way to La Guardia. 42 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,360 -I travel to New York every single month 43 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,760 and I am always on the 5 o'clock flight. 44 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:06,440 What's the run on this? 45 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:07,920 -We can do 10,000. -OK? -Yeah. 46 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,280 EILEEN: But that day I decided to take an earlier flight however, 47 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,640 I completely forgot that I had booked on the 2:45 48 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,000 and one of my associates said to me. 49 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:23,760 "Aren't you gonna be late, don't you have to leave for the airport?" 50 00:03:25,920 --> 00:03:28,280 I just grabbed my bags. 51 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:29,760 And I jumped in the cab and I said, 52 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,760 "I need to be at the airport at LaGuardia in 20 minutes." 53 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,800 You gotta get me there, just don't kill us! 54 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,840 BARRY: January of 2009 was one of the worst economic situations in the US. 55 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,240 Everybody was having very difficult times and honestly very, 56 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,000 very concerned about where our country was gonna go. 57 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,760 I was worried about getting home because of the weather. 58 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,960 I was extremely concerned that the flights were gonna be delayed or cancelled. 59 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:05,840 -Oops, sorry! -That's OK. 60 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,120 TESS: I was concerned about Martin checking in at curbside, 61 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,880 because I wasn't sure exactly how they were going to assign our seats and 62 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,440 it was very important that we all be seated together for the flight to Charlotte. 63 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,200 -It's still cold out there! 64 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:26,880 I was actually flying the leg back down to Charlotte to end the trip. 65 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:31,720 And all the clouds and the snow that had delayed us had moved off to the east so, 66 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,400 so New York City was actually bright sunshine. 67 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:36,600 I'd never actually flown with Sully before. 68 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,000 At the time, he'd worked at US Airways for 30 years, I worked there for 24, 69 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,680 and I don't really recall even seeing Sully. 70 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,160 Uh, you could see that he was definitely a professional. 71 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:49,920 He had an air about him. 72 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:52,600 MARTIN: It wasn't until we did board the plane that we realized that 73 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,880 we had different seating assignments. 74 00:04:54,960 --> 00:05:01,240 Tess had Damien as a lap child, uh in 19E and uh my, I was at 20, 26 uh, 75 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:06,240 23B and uh Sophia was at 23E directly to my lower right, uh, across the aisle. 76 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:08,960 -Did you ask for us to be seated together? 77 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:15,760 I really felt that it was my right, as a mother, to be seated with her child 78 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:21,640 and husband and so I was persistent 79 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,840 about having this rearranged. 80 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,840 Excuse me, Miss, we need to be reseated. 81 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:29,360 My daughter is sitting on her own. 82 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,280 -Just sit down and I'll reseat you once we are up in the air. 83 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,720 -She is 4 years old! -She can switch with me. 84 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:39,720 -Thank you so much. -Thank you. 85 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,840 -That was a wonderful thing to do, again, 86 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,000 crucial to, to her survival that day. 87 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,800 -The mother of the baby seemed a little stressed. 88 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,360 I just had to tell her to please sit down; we're getting ready to go. 89 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,400 One, she had to strap in and everything else, but that's normal because 90 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:01,040 these things happen all the time. 91 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,720 Like I said, this was only one family on board, so it was easy. 92 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,840 -At that point I really started to feel uneasy. 93 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,520 In fact there was a point where I stood up and I just wanted to get off the plane. 94 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,240 Excuse me, I need to get off this plane. 95 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,200 Excuse me? 96 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:28,120 The attendant said, "Sit down." 97 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,320 -Miss, sit down now! 98 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:38,520 -And, so I sat down and the gentleman to my right was, um, very kind 99 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,200 and sort of put my mind at ease. 100 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:43,960 -Can I help you in any way? 101 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,840 I'm a father of five myself. 102 00:06:48,280 --> 00:06:51,280 TESS: He had an American flag on his lapel. 103 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:56,520 Very closely shaved haircut and just seemed very in control. 104 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:00,240 I'm fine now, thank you for asking. 105 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,560 MAN (over radio): Cactus 1549 taxi foxtrot bravo hotel echo, 106 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:11,800 just got to hold you for about 3 minutes, for your uh, in trail to Charlotte. 107 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,840 PATRICK: That day I was scheduled to work a 3 to 11 shift. 108 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,160 See that? 109 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,960 Got the briefing, got the configurations, uh frequencies that we're using 110 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,400 for the day and I just took over from there. 111 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,280 Cactus 1549, line up runway 4. 112 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,080 MAN (over radio): Cactus 1549, Runway 4 for take off . 113 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,440 -Cleared for takeoff Cactus 1549. 114 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,920 JEFF: Sully lined it up with the center line stripes and he says. 115 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,840 -Your aircraft. -My Aircraft. 116 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,400 We started to accelerate down the runway. 117 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,920 Sully makes our standard call outs. 118 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,800 -81, rotate. 119 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,920 JEFF: I pull back and we leave the runway behind. 120 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,360 EILEEN: I've read information about, when plane crashes occur 121 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,040 and they're usually in the first 90 seconds and 122 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:17,080 so I've made it a habit to count that off and then I feel a little safer. 123 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,720 I start my count, "One 1,000, two 1,000. 124 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:27,920 Three 1,000, four 1,000, five 1,000. 125 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:33,840 I got to, 1,000-80, 1,000-81, 126 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,800 1,000-82, 1,000-83. 127 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:45,400 And thought, this is good, we're almost there, we're almost there. 128 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:48,000 And boom! 129 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:49,480 (screams). 130 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,880 -The plane just shook and and shuddered. 131 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,880 I didn't really understand what it was at all. 132 00:08:55,960 --> 00:09:00,960 I just couldn't fathom what it could be with us being 3000 or so feet up in the air. 133 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,200 -It's fine. 134 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,800 BARRY: Directly after that there was a smell. 135 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:14,240 -I assumed it might have been an electrical fire, 136 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:17,200 so the first thing I checked out was my galley in the back. 137 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,080 I tried to call the flight attendants in the front on the interphone. 138 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,760 The interphone did not work, this had never happened. 139 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,080 Miss, its fine, stay in your seat. 140 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,120 As I walked through the cabin, I had my hands on the overhead racks, 141 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,080 but what I was feeling for was heat and fire. 142 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,960 Miss, you need to sit down. 143 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,920 BARRY: My seat mate actually I remember him looking out the window. 144 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:02,680 And he looked at me and he said, "Sir I think the engine is gonna fall off." 145 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:08,920 I actually undid my seatbelt, went over to the window, 146 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:13,120 and I said, 147 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:14,760 "I have some good news and some bad news, 148 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:16,960 the good news is the engine isn't gonna fall off. 149 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,480 The bad news, it's not running." 150 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,280 BRAD: I was a pretty well-seasoned traveler. 151 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,120 I had spent a lot of time in the air. 152 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:37,280 I had never heard anything like that before. 153 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,680 I looked out my left window and I, I saw sparks flying off the engine. 154 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:50,600 Then it stopped suddenly. 155 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:52,840 And it got really quiet. 156 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:56,400 You could have heard a pin drop. 157 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,840 JEFF: At 3,000 feet in the air I look out and slightly to our right 158 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,640 and above us I see a line of birds. 159 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:14,680 Obviously I was shocked they were so close too close to ever possibly maneuver around. 160 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,440 Then I saw them descend in our windshield and I thought that we were going 161 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,600 to fly over the top of them. 162 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:28,200 Both engines immediately lose thrust. 163 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,520 You could just feel it kind of sag in the air and the speed tape 164 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:35,000 was just was decelerating. 165 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:40,040 That was when the real shock kind of hit suddenly my head was swelling 166 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:42,840 and I was looking at the world through a fog. 167 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:45,840 -Engine start selectors. 168 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:51,040 -Sully was galvanized into action. -On, off. 169 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,240 -He turned on our auxiliary power unit. -APU. 170 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,440 -And then took over flying the airplane at that point by saying, 171 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:58,800 'My aircraft'. 172 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:00,280 -Your aircraft. 173 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,760 He pushed the nose over hard to establish a glide. 174 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,040 The only way we can do that is by trading altitude for air speed. 175 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:17,640 EILEEN: And I thought we were just gonna head, straight into the ground. 176 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,840 I thought, "I have to call my husband, I have to call David. 177 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,760 We're probably going to die." 178 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:34,080 -I was at the car wash and she seemed concerned and said 179 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:36,480 there was a problem with the plane. 180 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:39,280 I'm sure everything is fine. 181 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:42,680 -I said, we're going to crash. 182 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:48,040 We took off and we hit something and there's fire. 183 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:50,880 -Wait hold on, did you say fire? 184 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,560 At that point I knew that it wasn't just nervous flying. 185 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:57,800 All of a sudden you're having an emergency situation that you basically have no control 186 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:02,200 over uh trying to talk with her and keep her calm and to see 187 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,760 exactly what the facts really are. 188 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,680 Eileen can you hear me? 189 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:09,320 Eileen? 190 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,560 But then the call dropped. 191 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:20,760 BARRY: The day before my wife and I were waiting for results for breast cancer. 192 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,720 That was extremely stressful, just waiting to get those results back. 193 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:33,480 I actually prayed and just said, "God if you're gonna take anybody please take me." 194 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:37,400 And I got the phone call. 195 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:41,880 (phone rings). 196 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,080 And my wife was fine thank God. 197 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:47,440 I love you, bye. 198 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,000 (crying) 199 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:04,520 I made this deal with God to take me instead of her, 200 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,120 so if that was what was happening. 201 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,560 I was fine with that. 202 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,400 -Engine start selectors, fuel control switches. 203 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,960 JEFF: I was responsible for trying to restart the engines. 204 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,680 And you could hear the clicking of the igniters, you know, 205 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:20,840 over our radio headsets because it was so quiet. 206 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:23,840 APU selector. 207 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,280 After a while, I realized that they were never going to run again. 208 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:30,520 -Engine start selectors. 209 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,120 -They were completely destroyed. 210 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,120 APU selectors. 211 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:39,200 I knew that we were going to be coming down some place and all we're looking at is is uh 212 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:43,040 roads, houses, skyscrapers, this is New York City. 213 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,520 There's there's no open land where we could set this airliner down. 214 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,440 PATRICK (over radio): Cactus 1549 New York departure radar contact, 215 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:52,600 climb and maintain one five thousand. 216 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,040 When I reached out to cactus 1549 to turn them westbound. 217 00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:00,040 Cactus 1549 turn left on 2, 7, 0. 218 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:02,760 I kinda cut off his transmission. 219 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:06,160 It was only after I un-keyed the mike that I heard the rest of his transmission. 220 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:08,560 SULLY (over radio): This is Cactus 1549. 221 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:10,880 Hit Birds, we've lost thrust in both engines. 222 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,760 PATRICK: Immediately I could feel my heart rate increase and my heart it felt like it 223 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:20,600 was almost like pounding outta my chest. 224 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,400 JEFF: Sully was talking with the air traffic controller about LaGuardia. 225 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,600 It seem like to me it would be too far away, and that we were too low 226 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,760 to possibly stretch our glide that far. 227 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,720 PATRICK (over radio): Hi Cactus 1549, there's going to be less traffic to Runway 31. 228 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,760 SULLY: Unable. 229 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:40,280 PATRICK (over radio): OK, what do you need to land? 230 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,680 JEFF: Our air traffic controller pointed out another airport to us, 231 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:44,760 Teterboro, which was over in New Jersey. 232 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,000 PATRICK (over radio): OK, off to your right side is Teterboro Airport. 233 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,400 Do you want to try to go to Teterboro? 234 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,120 JEFF: I was actually concerned when I didn't hear Sully respond right away and 235 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,440 I was about to say, "You don't think we can make that?" 236 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:02,000 When he said. 237 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,680 -We can't do it, we're gonna be in the Hudson. 238 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,920 PATRICK: It just seemed eerily quiet uh you know. 239 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:13,000 I think it's probably people assessing is that real. 240 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:15,440 Is that really happening? 241 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,920 JEFF: We were getting a large number of warning devices, audio signals. 242 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:25,080 We're getting an audible callout over our speakers of "traffic, traffic." 243 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:29,680 We're getting a "too low gear, a too low flap" callout. 244 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,360 ALARM (over speaker): Caution, terrain, caution, terrain. 245 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:34,760 JEFF: We have an alert bell which is sounding continuously. 246 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,600 (alert bell rings) 247 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,320 Through all this noise Sully had the presence of mind to gives the 248 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,680 command that "This is, this is the captain, brace for impact." 249 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,640 SULLY (over intercom): This is the Captain, brace for impact. 250 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,760 MARTIN: The only words I heard from the pilot were, "brace for impact" 251 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,760 and that's when I realized, 'Wow, we're gonna, we're really going to go down' 252 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:58,680 and you have no idea what that means. 253 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,640 If we're gonna, you know, line, land gracefully or if we're gonna you know, 254 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,040 smash up and roll over into a million pieces. 255 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,600 I turned to Sophia and I, and I tightened up her seatbelt as hard as I could. 256 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:15,240 And I had basically laid over on top of her, to you know, protect her from the impact. 257 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,880 I mean, that's, that's all the uh, instinctually all you can do. 258 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,080 -Excuse me Miss? 259 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:31,960 -My seatmate asked me if he could brace my son and I said, "Yes." 260 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,200 My thought was well if there's any chance of him surviving it 261 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:38,760 would be better in a stronger man's arms. 262 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,600 -It will be fine, we're in safe hands. 263 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:48,880 I think the words coming out of my mouth were completely different 264 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,960 than the thoughts that were in my head. 265 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,840 I was not even supposed to be on the plane that day. 266 00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:00,680 I was in New York at the time working on the new football stadium 267 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:03,120 for the Giants and the Jets. 268 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,080 My business meeting finished early. 269 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,920 So I rushed to LaGuardia as fast as I could, and went to the counter 270 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,560 and said "Hey, can I get on this flight?" 271 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:17,920 Perhaps it was fate. 272 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,520 I do not know but I got the last available seat on the plane. 273 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:26,120 SULLY (over intercom): This is the Captain, brace for impact. 274 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:30,960 DOREEN: I don't think many people hear those words and are here to talk 275 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:36,360 about it afterwards, so it was like somebody politely telling you 276 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,080 that you're gonna die very soon. 277 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,120 I'm supposed to be yelling out my commands to tell the people to brace. 278 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:45,760 Heads down, stay down. 279 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:50,000 Brace, brace, brace, brace... 280 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:54,240 And I, at that point accepted that that was where I was going to die. 281 00:18:55,560 --> 00:19:02,240 And that was it, I was overcome with unbelievable sadness that I can't, 282 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:05,880 I never wanna feel again. 283 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:12,000 EILEEN: The calls dropped two times, the third time the Captain said, 284 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:14,680 "Brace for impact." 285 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,520 And I said, "Oh my God, we are gonna crash!" 286 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:22,520 And then I said my goodbyes. 287 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,360 DAVID: The finality of her saying that and then me telling her that I loved her 288 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,760 and her asking me to make sure everybody got taken care of that uh 289 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,040 was a pretty good shock. 290 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,320 TOWER (over radio) He's just about a mile and a half north of the Lincoln Tunnel. 291 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:41,200 Last sighted below 900 feet. 292 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,120 We still got a target on him but he looks like he's low level. 293 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,520 MAN (over radio): Two ten (inaudible), is he still flying? 294 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:47,800 WOMAN (over radio): Still flying. 295 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:49,600 MAN (over radio): There may be an incident here. 296 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,400 PATRICK: We were watching the airplane get lower and lower over the Hudson River. 297 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:59,080 And that's when I had to say um the words that no controller ever wants to have 298 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,960 to say and that's, "radar contact lost". 299 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:06,840 And that's the last thing you say before a crash. 300 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,120 Cactus 1549, radar contact lost. 301 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:16,080 MAN (over radio): Yeah two Tango Alpha he's at 900 feet abeam the North Hudson. 302 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:19,000 He looks like he's descending into the Hudson River. 303 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,160 PATRICK: It was a combination of disbelief and just feeling sick to your stomach about it. 304 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:32,400 I thought I was part of the worst aviation incident to happen in, in recent times. 305 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,960 MAN (over radio): 4718, I think he said he was going in the Hudson. 306 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,680 BRAD: I looked out my window and I saw the George Washington Bridge. 307 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:54,800 We barely clear the bridge. 308 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:59,960 And then and then the plane started to pick up momentum 309 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:06,080 and we're going down faster and faster and faster and faster. 310 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,120 I knew there were no miracles and my time had come. 311 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:19,160 I started thinking about my daughter. 312 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,520 PAM: We're now lower than the high rises of Manhattan and it was at that point 313 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:27,960 I realize we're going into the water. 314 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:32,840 I thought, it's going to break apart, it's going to be horrific, 315 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:35,200 but I'm gonna survive. 316 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:36,760 DOREEN: Brace, brace. 317 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,400 PAM: I started doing the preparation for how am I going to get out. 318 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:41,720 Where am I going? 319 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:43,120 Which door am I going out of? 320 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,080 There could be fire. 321 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,160 There will be metal everywhere. 322 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,200 Had it all figured out because I envisioned that I was going to be doing 323 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,600 this underwater and in the dark. 324 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:54,800 -Brace, brace, heads down, stay down. 325 00:21:56,360 --> 00:21:59,200 PAM: Grabbed the chair in front of me put my head down as low as 326 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:01,160 I could and just hung on. 327 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,200 -Right before we touched down in the water, Sully asked me, "Got any other... 328 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:05,800 -Ideas? 329 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:08,200 -And I said, "Actually, not." 330 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,840 JIM: I remember looking out the window and seeing the water fast approaching. 331 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,120 I put up a knee on the seat in front of me. 332 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,400 And I held him as close to me as I could. 333 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,040 She leaned forward and there we went into the river! 334 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,160 The impact was just tremendous. 335 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,440 (explosive noises). 336 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:46,880 And I'm thinking, "Oh God if there's any moment, 337 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,160 give me strength now not to let go of this baby." 338 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,480 (screaming). 339 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:07,760 And then, nothing. 340 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,760 But a millisecond later when one feels that cold river water 341 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,480 coming up around your ankles. 342 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,240 That is when pandemonium broke out. 343 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,160 (panic, screaming). 344 00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:33,200 MARTIN: A lot of the seals on the windows had given in. 345 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:37,400 So that water was rushing in, at a very rapid rate from not only the underside of the, 346 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,200 of the cabin, but also from the windows. 347 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,560 I finally unfastened my seatbelt and I grabbed Sophia. 348 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:45,560 (screams). 349 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:47,320 She was, you know, crying and she didn't know what was going on. 350 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,360 And I was horrified myself. 351 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:54,520 BRAD: Everybody's panicking. 352 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,840 They weren't thinking clearly. 353 00:23:56,920 --> 00:24:03,000 And I felt there was a need for somebody to say, you know, instruct the crowd. 354 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:05,480 Come on, get up. 355 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:07,560 Move, move, keep going forwards. 356 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,200 People are starting to grab things in the overhead. 357 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,960 And I remember yelling," Get out of the overhead! 358 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,400 Get out of the overhead!" 359 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,720 One gentleman kept reaching up and finally I said to him, 360 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,560 "Somebody's gonna drown for whatever you're reaching for." 361 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,120 Move, come on! 362 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,320 I kept screaming, "Go! 363 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:30,560 Don't stop moving. 364 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,360 You got to get off this plane." 365 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:35,520 You got to get off this plane. 366 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,240 JIM: I still had the baby in my arms and he seems to be perfectly fine. 367 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:42,120 -Move, move! 368 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,280 JIM: Tess sits up forward and I hand the baby back to her 369 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,600 and I say, "We gotta go." 370 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:01,240 TESS: My best option was to crawl over the seats with Damien. 371 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:04,280 I need to get through. 372 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:06,120 There was no way I could have gone into the aisle because there was 373 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:07,920 lot of pushing going on. 374 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,800 The chances of us being trampled were probably pretty big. 375 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,480 (commotion). 376 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,520 I got to a point where I couldn't crawl anymore seats. 377 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,240 Everyone was passing me and I felt invisible for a little while. 378 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,680 It was, um, sort of a survival of the fittest. 379 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,480 BRAD: I look to my right, there's people climbing over the seats, 380 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:38,920 I look to my left and there's people climbing over the seats. 381 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:41,360 I heard a woman scream. 382 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:42,960 (Tess screams). 383 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:48,360 I see a woman holding a baby to her chest and she's absolutely terrified. 384 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,920 I've never seen a look like that in my life, terror. 385 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:03,720 There was a selfish side of me that said, 'get off the plane,' you know, 'that's life.' 386 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:08,240 We're inching forwards, step by step and I turned around again and I saw her screaming. 387 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:17,760 I said to myself, 'man, if you don't go back and help her, 388 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,560 you'll never sleep another day in your life.' 389 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,280 Move, get out of the way! 390 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,200 I went back, knocking people out of my way. 391 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:32,560 Get out of the way, come on move! 392 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:34,400 People were blocking me off. 393 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,600 I was extremely irritated by that. 394 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:40,040 Move. 395 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,200 I just remember picking them up and saying 'come on, you're coming with me'. 396 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:46,920 I gotcha, I gotcha. 397 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,120 I just started waddling my way down the aisle the best I could. 398 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:52,520 Move, move. 399 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,320 At that point she passed out in my arms. 400 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,520 Miss, Miss? 401 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:06,400 EILEEN: My adrenaline was going 100 miles an hour. 402 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,040 I mean it was surging because I was afraid. 403 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:10,120 I was terrified. 404 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,480 I just knew we were in imminent danger. 405 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,960 It felt really dangerous. 406 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,200 (screams and shouts). 407 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:25,160 And my phone rang. 408 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,400 (phone rings). 409 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,120 It was David. 410 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:31,560 He said "Are you down?" 411 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,280 and I said we were in the water. 412 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,920 DAVID: Even though they were in the water I still figured the engines were hot 413 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,200 enough to ignite jet fuel. 414 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:42,280 So my main concern was to get her off the plane. 415 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:44,520 Listen to me, you have got to get off that plane. 416 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,160 EILEEN: And so that got me moving. 417 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:51,880 (screams and shouts) 418 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,080 There were already people crowding through the door. 419 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,280 So I just sort of got pushed along, like a herd. 420 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:04,960 When I stepped out of the door, it was just chaos. 421 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,360 It was freezing cold. 422 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:13,760 The plane was sinking. 423 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:16,560 The jet fuel reeked and we'd had a fire. 424 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,840 I wanted to be as far away as I could get. 425 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,000 And I felt this movement behind me. 426 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:29,480 DAVID: And then her phone went dead. 427 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:31,960 Damn it! 428 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,600 EILEEN: It was like slipping into mud. 429 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,680 It was brisk and cold and heavy. 430 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,520 I looked around to see, 'Oh my God, what do I do? 431 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:49,560 Do I get back on the wing?' 432 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:55,840 I saw someone who looked like they were attempting to swim off to shore 433 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:01,960 and I saw the raft. 434 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:11,520 I tried to grab onto the side, and I kept slipping back 435 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:14,600 and slipping back and slipping back. 436 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,280 Finally I just hurled myself over the top. 437 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:27,360 The girl behind me was flailing, I mean arms and legs going and screaming. 438 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,280 -I need my passport, I need my passport! 439 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:33,880 EILEEN: And I slipped out of the raft and went back into the water. 440 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:37,160 (shouting). 441 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:43,120 Even though my adrenaline was going full steam, the water was dangerously cold 442 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,000 and I couldn't feel my limbs so well anymore. 443 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:50,880 Something had to change really quickly or we'd drown. 444 00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,560 -Keep going, move! 445 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:01,760 Finally we got up to the exit and I heard somebody say... 446 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,840 -Oh my God, a baby! -Somebody reached up and grabbed the baby. 447 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:08,720 You got her? 448 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:11,080 And at that point I lost her for the rest of the journey. 449 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,000 People were shoulder to shoulder. 450 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,360 It, it was a mess. 451 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,040 (shouting). 452 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:26,960 We've got to make more room for more passengers and the only other place to step 453 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:28,960 besides the wing was the raft. 454 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:30,880 Give me your hand. 455 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,840 And it's sitting under the wing of the plane. 456 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,120 We flipped it over, I leaped off the wing 457 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,800 and I started pulling myself up the back. 458 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,440 And was able to weigh it down then people starting boarding one at a time on to the thing. 459 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:57,160 The only thing going through my mind at that point was this plane is about to sink. 460 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,360 Is everybody out? 461 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,480 How many people are dead? 462 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,760 What's still in that plane? 463 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,000 (screams and shouts). 464 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,640 -As human beings we all know we're gonna die. 465 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,760 I've known, I mean, nobody gets out this deal alive. 466 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,480 But, you never think it's gonna be today. 467 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,680 We always assume we've got a tomorrow, we've got a next month, we've got a next year. 468 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:31,120 And, all of a sudden that was not a true assumption anymore. 469 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:38,840 It's my worst nightmare recognized. 470 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,000 -Move forward! 471 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:46,160 -I mean, I am in a closed confined space with water and I can't get out. 472 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,080 The water's going to keep coming up, up and up and I'm going to drown. 473 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,040 I did not want to drown. 474 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:59,840 But I had this calm come over me and I thought, "No, you've gotta get off this plane. 475 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,400 You've got three children, get off this plane." 476 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,520 -You can't use the back, go forward, go forward. 477 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:09,880 I was screaming to the people. 478 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,520 "We can't use the back, go forward, go forward." 479 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,320 That was the only thing I could possibly do back there, 480 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:17,360 everything else was out of my control. 481 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,680 I went kind of crazy, pushing and screaming and, whatever I had to. 482 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:29,640 And I made sure that all those people frozen in front of me, when I pushed, 483 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:31,720 I mean, I did whatever I had to do. 484 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,480 Go move forward, move forward! 485 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,720 Move forward, move forward. 486 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:39,600 (shouting). 487 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,520 MARTIN: At a certain point I realized that the emergency exits were opened and, 488 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,920 you can actually see it getting brighter as you, you ascended up the aisle. 489 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,360 Finally, I saw Tess standing by the door with Damien. 490 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:57,360 That was pretty powerful there she is, she's OK, she's not passed out, 491 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:02,680 she's got Damien, he's awake, he's alert, he's not bleeding. 492 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:13,560 I don't remember exchanging words, we were just, 'let's get the heck out of here!' 493 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,800 TESS: I did not anticipate being on a wing, knee deep in freezing water, 494 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,600 with a baby in my arms. 495 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:31,960 That's really when the trauma set in. 496 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,280 (screaming). 497 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,720 VALLIE: This man I don't who is, to this day, I don't I don't know, 498 00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:44,680 who he was but he looked at me, he pointed at me and he says, "Get those kids!" 499 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:48,480 So I thought, "great, somebody has given me an action step, 500 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:51,080 you have given me something to do." 501 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:58,680 And I turn back to the mom and I said, "Hand me your baby." 502 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:07,560 TESS: She passed him onto another passenger. 503 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:11,560 He was very wet so they were sort of covering him up trying to keep him warm. 504 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,120 The lady took Sophia. 505 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:19,800 She just held her. 506 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:25,880 She just sort of made it her mission at that time to hold on to her. 507 00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:35,520 DOREEN: When I got to the front the passenger from 1C didn't take their life vest. 508 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:38,400 As I bent over I saw my leg. 509 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:46,360 During the impact a piece of metal with an angle iron on the end came through the floor 510 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,360 and went through my leg and I never felt it. 511 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,080 I guess that's adrenaline. 512 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:59,200 I still had no idea about the blood coming, nor did it matter 513 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,400 but I didn't know any of that yet. 514 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:03,840 I must have been a sight. 515 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,200 I slid onto the raft, blood went everywhere. 516 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,160 They were looking at me like, "What happened to her?" 517 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,840 -Ferries! 518 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:27,000 -When I saw the ferry I thought finally help, 519 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,360 someone's coming to rescue us 520 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:32,600 and that felt so good. 521 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,160 Over here, over here! 522 00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:44,080 And that didn't last very long. 523 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,040 Everyone, threw up their hands and started screaming. 524 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:49,880 Stop, No! 525 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:56,280 It was huge, it was massive and it was coming right towards us. 526 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,120 And it couldn't stop. 527 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:05,840 (screaming and shouting). 528 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,840 The ferry clipped the wing and I slipped back into the water. 529 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,720 And you just were sickened. 530 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:24,320 I thought it was so close to being over and then it wasn't over and then something 531 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:27,320 terrible was gonna happen again. 532 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:32,400 And we just kept going over and over and over, relief, fear. 533 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:43,000 SHAE: Everybody was wanting to get on the ferry and it was like a, um like a rope ladder. 534 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:45,680 And I tried to grab a hold of it. 535 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,600 But by then the ferry was having to back up. 536 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:50,840 And it dragged me back into the water. 537 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:55,000 (screams). 538 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:03,000 MICHAEL: As we got closer towards the scene, there was a flash of red that, 539 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,480 that caught the corner of my eye. 540 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,560 She just really seemed to be holding on; she wasn't really climbing up 541 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,440 or trying to get herself out of the water. 542 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,000 And I said, that person right there. 543 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:17,920 That's who we need to get to first. 544 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,360 And that's when I jumped out of the helicopter. 545 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,960 I asked her her name, and she said her name was Shae, and I said, 546 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,480 my name's Michael and I'm gonna help you get out of the water. 547 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,360 Once we realize we weren't gonna get up this cargo net. 548 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,880 I said, "You're gonna have to let go of the net" She said that, 549 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:50,760 "We're gonna get run over." 550 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,000 I said, "Listen, trust me." 551 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:58,800 She let go reluctantly and I grabbed her by the arm and uh so did 552 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:00,840 Detective Rodriguez and we swam as hard as we could. 553 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:03,800 (screams). 554 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:06,600 One of the other boats that were in the area was going be our best opportunity. 555 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,600 ♪ ♪ 556 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:32,720 We helped her out as much as we possibly could at that point. 557 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:35,520 There was other people that needed our help also. 558 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:43,160 -Good evening. 559 00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:46,800 It had just taken off from New York's La Guardia Airport bound for Charlotte, 560 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:53,520 North Carolina and then a midair disaster struck US Airways flight 1549. 561 00:38:55,480 --> 00:39:01,160 Word arrived that a commercial jet liner was in the water with 155 people on board. 562 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,040 -The first time I heard about the plane I was just expecting 563 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:06,640 a lot of lacerations. 564 00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:10,800 A lot of uh um injured parts, bodies. 565 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:13,280 Missing parts of the body. 566 00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:15,360 Because of the magnitude of the, of the event. 567 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:26,560 I started running to the different area of the marina, with expectation that there 568 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,760 were gonna be more injured passengers. 569 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:39,360 What I had imagined in my head and what I saw there was a completely different story. 570 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:42,120 Completely different. 571 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:53,840 I basically saw people just sitting with the blankets covering themselves 572 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:56,760 and like this. 573 00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:59,160 Like they were frozen in time. 574 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,240 You could hear people breathing, that's how silent it was. 575 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:10,920 There was only a baby crying very faint on the back. 576 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:20,840 BRAD: They put these necklaces around us with stickers on them. 577 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:23,840 And you realize right then and there what they're doing. 578 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:26,360 They're counting. 579 00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:29,160 That was a very uncertain feeling. 580 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:33,640 You realize they're, they're taking count to see how many of you made it. 581 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:47,160 Suddenly they make this announcement, "Oh my God, we got everybody!" 582 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:52,800 (applause). 583 00:40:55,960 --> 00:41:00,400 It was just one of those most amazing moments in your life where you realize, 584 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:05,480 'I'm a part of a miracle' 155 people crashed and everybody, 585 00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:09,360 everybody survived. 586 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,720 It's, it's unreal. 587 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:15,120 It's absolutely unreal. 588 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,000 PAM: Because I had been in the water so long, they realized I had hypothermia, 589 00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:25,720 I had been vomiting for a while, so they had assessed me 590 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:28,040 and said that I needed to go to the hospital. 591 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:31,840 And it was when I was being wheeled out to the back of an ambulance there 592 00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:34,960 that I realized how big 593 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,520 this... there was helicopters circling overhead, there was media. 594 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:40,360 There were lights everywhere. 595 00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:42,040 I remember I just couldn't even see. 596 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:46,400 And being asked questions as I'm wheeling out "what happened, how are you?" 597 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:47,960 -Please tell us what happened? 598 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:48,960 How are you? 599 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:51,080 Are there any other survivors? 600 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:55,880 PAM: And all I kept thinking was 'I don't, I don't know what happened, 601 00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:58,600 I really, can someone explain to me what just happened?' 602 00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:03,040 BRAD: You're rushed by reporters. 603 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:06,280 They see you wearing this Red Cross blanket and the cameras in your face. 604 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:08,480 What happened da, da, da, da, da. 605 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:10,680 -He gonna talk, he's gonna talk, sir? 606 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:14,520 BRAD: I remember just looking at the camera and saying, this pilot is the reason my 607 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:16,880 daughter still has a father. 608 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:25,640 Little did I know that that blurb was gonna follow me for the next several months. 609 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,400 Woman (over radio): Let's get the latest now on what's being called, 610 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,480 'The Miracle on the Hudson' and everyone on board lived to tell the story. 611 00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:39,000 Man (over radio): We've had a miracle on 34th street. 612 00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:42,000 I believe we've now had a miracle on the Hudson. 613 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:45,680 -I am truly convinced that it was a miracle. 614 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:48,640 I was truly, truly grateful. 615 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:55,280 But the dark side of that is that there are nightmares and there's anxiety. 616 00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:06,280 VALLIE: If you asked me today if I would board flight 1549 I would not 617 00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:09,800 because it's still just too hard. 618 00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:16,280 My hope is that going through an experience like this one will make me 619 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,960 a better person, will make me a better mom, make me a better wife, 620 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:22,560 a better sister, a better daughter. 621 00:43:28,720 --> 00:43:33,440 BARRY: I was lucky that day, and it just keeps reminding me that I'm still here 622 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:39,640 and I'm with my family and that there are other things that I need to do with this life. 623 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:49,400 BRAD: Something good happened for the first time in a long time and people, 624 00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:57,160 people needed that, and, uh, I was, I was ecstatic to be a part of it. 625 00:43:57,240 --> 00:43:59,240 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.