The One-Time Water Landing

You can't practice ditching a wheeled aircraft, so you must get it right.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, September 13, 2024 at 09:10 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

Most information about ditching comes from interviewing colleagues who have done it. [iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on water, as famously demonstrated by US Airways Flight 1549, and requires mental preparation as it cannot be physically practiced.
Pilots flying over water should always consider ditching and prepare by studying procedures, securing loose items, and tightening restraints.
Real-world ditching experiences highlight critical survival factors such as the potential for jammed seatbelts (suggesting carrying a seatbelt cutter) and the challenge of egress from a submerged, inverted aircraft.
Effective preparation, including passenger briefings on safety gear and water survival training, significantly increases the chances of survival during an emergency water landing.

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On January 15, 2009, approximately two minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport (KGLA) in New York, US Airways Flight 1549 encountered a flock of birds. Several were ingested into the two engines, resulting in a nearly complete loss of thrust.

Out of power, altitude and options, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and copilot Jeffrey Skiles ditched the aircraft in the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. There were 155 souls on board. There were injuries but no loss of life, and the term “Miracle on the Hudson” was coined since it was viewed as one of the most successful ditchings ever performed.