The Following is a guest post from Ian Wells, a friend of mine and fellow alum from the University of Miami. One of the most amazing things about Ian…is that he is alive. He survived the plane crash of US Air Flight 1549 and I and TheWorldorBust are privileged to have him share his amazing story just a few days shy of the three year anniversary of the crash. Ian currently resides in NYC and works as an internet entrepreneur.
Ian's Ticket Stub from US Air Flight 1549
I love to fly. It’s been that way ever since I was a kid. I enjoy the whole experience; the peanuts, picking out the most useless crap out of the SkyMall, the new destination, maybe meeting someone new and especially the thrill of flying. That hasn’t changed too much as I have gotten older. I enjoy the new destinations and I’m still a sucker for the SkyMall, but beer has helped me deal with the whole “thrill” of flying because three years ago, on January 15, 2009, I experienced a whole different kind of thrill on a flight from New York’s LaGuardia airport to Charlotte. On that day, I was a passenger aboard US Airways Flight 1549, which crash-landed into NY’s Hudson River.
I was flying back to school for my final semester at the University of Miami like I had every year before. It was an extremely cold and dreary day in New York. The seat I was “awarded” was 25D, the second to last row of the plane. As we took off, the flight felt as normal as any other. The jets rumbled as the pilot put them at full thrust, I was pushed back in my seat, and as we took off, I took a sigh of relief as I saw the shimmering facades of Manhattan’s skyscrapers get smaller and smaller. As we continued to climb into the sky, I heard the sound no one ever wants to hear or experience while flying.
A tremendous thud reverberated throughout the cabin as if the plane had just hit something. The plane shook violently and quickly lost thrust in both engines. Rather than continuing to climb into the sky, the plane just sat there, dead. A sinking feeling came upon me, for the first time in all my years of flying, I felt the height of where we actually were, It seemed like I was dangling 5,000 feet above Manhattan with no where to go. The plane sat there seemingly motionless while people tried to wrap their head around the situation. You could hear a clicking sound coming from both engines as the pilots did their best to get them started again.
The natural reaction that occurred was the fear of not knowing. My heart was racing as a million thoughts rushed through my head. What the hell was going on? Why on earth is this happening to me? Why Me?
As I looked around, people began screaming that there was a fire onboard. An all too real smell of pungent gasoline and smoke began to fill the cabin. I looked around for an explanation and some sort of reassurance, but everyone had on the same pale face that showed the painful reality of our situation.. I looked behind me to the stewardess, who had quickly gotten up from her seat after the initial shock, and began opening luggage compartments to locate the fire.
This felt like the first situation in my life where I had zero control on the outcome. The pilots who I had never met were now in control of my life. My plane was falling without engine power towards one of the most densely populated cities in the entire world, and I was helpless.
As the plane seem to just float in thin air, the two passengers in my aisle and I interlocked hands and prayed. We prayed that we’d walk away from this. We prayed that our families would be ok, and we prayed for the best possible outcome in the worst possible situation.
The plane took a sharp turn over the city and edged back level. As I looked out I could see the West Side of Manhattan and the cliffs of New Jersey. It was evident that we were over the Hudson River. There was no engine thrust, no noise, just an eerie silence. You could have heard a pin drop as everyone held their collective breathe, had silent prayers and waited for the unthinkable.
The pilot came on (Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger) and said the words that no one wants to hear. “Brace for Impact.” It was all too real, the stewardess was yelling to keep our heads down, and to get into “crash position”, you know, the one in the little safety pamphlet you’ve nonchalantly perused 100 times and never thought neccessary. I sat there leaning down with my head pressed against my knees, thinking about my family and how I’d never get to see them again.
I felt a painfully unnerving feeling, I guess you could say it was the fear of death, and when it was staring me back in the face, it was a totally different beast than I had ever imagined. It’s disbelief rather than a fear.
As we rapidly descended towards the river, it got eerily dark. The clouds seemed to cover the late afternoon sky, and all of a sudden, BOOM, we hit the icy river, and I began to feel the inevitable was soon to be my fate.
Our bodies were contorted into various positions and were jerked around as the seat belts held us back, but the impact of the large aircraft hitting the fast moving river was translated into us, and it was a force I’ve never experienced. I remember my head hitting the seat in front of me. I kept waiting for the plane to break apart, for the implosion to occur. But that never happened; the first feeling as the plane came to a sudden stop wasn’t pain, but adrenaline. I remember thinking “Holy Shit I’m still alive.” I looked to my right, the two people in my aisle were alive as well. The adrenaline overtook my body, I felt invincible. I had just survived a fucking plane crash.
The frigid water began to quickly fill the back of the aircraft. As I looked to the left and right, the windows were submerged in water. The plane was creeping lower and lower into the river and the water was trapping us inside the plane. People in front of us were moving towards the back looking for an exit as we yelled to move forward. In the back of the plane, I thought we were experiencing the same problems people in the front of the plane were dealing with. I figured if these exits cannot be opened, the front ones couldn’t either. I was neck deep in water inside the aircraft without an exit. The plane was dark, wet, and terrifying.
As the light began to open up inside the aircraft you could see people filing out onto the aircrafts wings and onto life rafts at the front of plane. The anxiety eased as I pushed against the seats inside the aircraft and quickly climbed towards the front of the plane. As I entered the life raft, the pilot passed by me and went towards the back of the plane to ensure everyone had been saved and accounted for. As I sat on the life raft looking behind me at a plane half submerged in the icy Hudson River, I felt relief, calm, and disbelief.
US Air Flight 1549 Crash in the Water (From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/be-realistic-expect-mirac_b_159491.html)
As I think back on that day, it sure had that “thrill” of flying I always enjoyed, but more than anything, 155 people who may have been strangers boarding that flight, became family. We shared an extraordinary experience that is difficult to fully explain unless you were there.
In the past when I flew, I’d sometimes meet one or two people, on that day I met 154 people. I’ll never forget the faces of the fellow passengers and the crew. We all held the same feelings, and faced the same fears and were able to walk away together. A commercial jet crashed in the middle of a frozen river and not a single person was killed, or even severely injured. this is a true testament to the crew and passengers working together during a dire situation. Complete strangers came together in an unbelievable event and walked away a family.
Ian and Sulley Sullenberger, The Pilot of US Airways flight 1549
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow – what a story. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been. I’m not sure I would have been able to keep my cool when the water started coming into the plane.
ElizabethJ_Bird recently posted..New Blog Layout
Yea I’m pretty sure I would have freaked the F out too…
Jeremy recently posted..I Flew, I Crashed, I lived – A 1st Hand Account from US Airways Flight 1549
Great account of what it must be like to be in a plane crash. Congratulations on surviving. Just one question, what was the reason for the crash? Why did the engines fail?
Sam recently posted..Hostelling with Hostelworld
The plane hit a flock of birds and they jammed the engines.
Jeremy recently posted..I Flew, I Crashed, I lived – A 1st Hand Account from US Airways Flight 1549
I know your father John. He must be very proud of you.
Thank you very much Antonio. He was the first person I called while on the life raft, his reaction was pretty incredible… it was quite the day!
Can’t even imagine how scary that moment must have been for you guys. I’m proud of u. Makes me realize we really have to treasure everything that we currently have, especially our families.
Thank you Mil! That’s very true…an event like this really makes you realize what is important.
Capt Sully is my Hero also, My daughter Michele was 1 row ahead of you 24C. I Thank God every day that Sully was the pilot on that flight, or things could have been sooo very different.
The man really is a true hero.
Jeremy recently posted..The 10 Best Clubs in NYC
Susan: Did you ever stop to think and ask yourself why the plane actually hit the birds? It hit the birds because not only was Sully not paying attention (he was gawking “the beautiful view of the river”), he distracted the guy actually flying the plane — the co-pilot. He then took over and splashed an airplane that, had someone competent been at the controls, could have easily made it back to LGA. When the feathers settle, chances are your daughter will want to become part of the multi-million class action lawsuit that will see your hero Sully sullied and his former employer going bankrupt and the NTSB running for cover over what was clearly a coverup of aeronautic proportion.
Dave Brough: LOL. You think a climbing A320 can maneuver like a jet fighter? It’s climbing right after takeoff, it can’t turn on a dime to avoid a flock of geese from flying into it.
And even if he did miss something, he still saved the lives of everyone on the plane. You’d have to be a major piece of shit to sue over that. And WTF is anyone gonna sue over? Getting wet? LOL.
LOL: Sully didn’t save anyone’s life. Through his own negligence — remember, he was gawking the view of the river when it happened — he single-handedly destroyed an $80 million aircraft and endangered the lives of everyone aboard. His butt and 154 others were only saved because of the pure luck of having a ferry fleet and other rescuers mere minutes away. The man is lucky he wasn’t charged with criminal negligence, because that’s exactly what it was.
As for cause of action, start with negligence and work your way down. If you wanna include ‘getting wet’, sure.
Dave Brough
Dave Brough: No, LOL, I don’t think a climbing A320 could maneuver like a jet fighter. But I do think (and know) that even large aircraft are surprisingly nimble. Just ask Tex Johnson, the man who rolled the 707. The fact is, Sully didn’t catch sight of the birds until (exactly) one second before impact — about the length of a football field. Had he been doing his job instead of playing tourist, he could have been able to pick the birds out several miles off and nudged the plane out of the way and no one on board would have known for nothing. You snooze, you loose.
Wow, The World or Bust has become a forum of true unfiltered opinion and passion. Love it.
Jeremy recently posted..What is Flashpacking?
Good luck getting an Airbus A320 with no engines to nimble all the way back to an airport surrounded by houses and buildings. That’s what most pilots would have probably tried to do – which would have probably ended just like in 2001 or 1960.
As for the birds, you have to admit you’re being overly arrogant by saying that he could have totally seen it coming a mile away. How do you know? Bird strikes happen all the time too (usually causing not much than a light turbulence), does that mean that pilots are always ‘touristing’ instead of looking straight ahead? I doubt it.
Not only did this pilot save the lives of the passengers, he also managed to not end up somewhere in the middle of the Bronx, killing a few people on the ground at the same time.
So yes, even if he did spend too much time looking at the skyline instead of paying attention to what was going on, he made the right decision – which may be too daring and magnificent for your brain to understand – that most of pilots would have never even dared thinking about taking (pilots who think like you, probably – that a plane with no engines should try to go all the way around and somehow make it back to the airport).
That was an amazing story (read it with the goose bumps). Amazing that everyone came out of the plane alive. Imagine all the tension and the feeling of bliss all the people had when they were rescued from the plane. I will never forget the day I heard this on the news!
Hmmm. I’m not sure I could find enough beer in a Sky Mall to get me on a plane again after this experience.
Wow! I’m friends with Ian and this story gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it. I’ve never been able to read it like this though— what a truly amazing experience. There really aren’t any words. YOU’RE THE MAN, IAN!!!!
Best,
Deanna
Deanna @ Love of My Dogs recently posted..Crunchy Wheat-Free Turkey Dog Treats
Thanks Deanna, friends like you make me realize how truly lucky I am! Thanks for reading the story.
Awesome article! I can’t even begin to imagine the fear that was felt. Thank goodness everyone made it out!
David recently posted..News on Textbook Selling and Vibrational Polygons
Unbelievable – so glad you are okay. I always feel safer in a plane than a car because of statistics but stories like yours (and Air Crash Investigations) remind me that aircraft accidents can occur. You were very lucky…
ps. I am also a UM alum =)
Andrea recently posted..5 Things Not to Miss in Hobart
Go Canes!!! Unbreakable.
Jeremy recently posted..I Flew, I Crashed, I lived – A 1st Hand Account from US Airways Flight 1549
I can’t imagine what you feelt. But you are very lucky.
What an amazing story. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
It was really the terrific moment, even now I can’t think what would happen if i was there. you should thank god for this amazing one.
Thanks for the article, Ian. The thing that struck me the most is that people, when confronted with something terrifying – pray. And God answered “yes.” What a gracious God!
Wow, thank you for sharing your story. I can attest that everyone who followed the news that day and for the three years thereafter are grateful that everyone made it out okay.
My question to you is… how do you feel about flying today?
Amanda @amandaelsewhere recently posted..I feel uncomfortable about China. I feel uncomfortable about technology.
Hey,
Thank you very much for the kind words. I’d be lying if I told you I don’t get nervous when I fly, but I just try to be realistic and not think too much about the whole event. After we take off and are at “cruising altitude” as they say, I’m ok, before there are always a few nerves.
-Ian Wells
Wow… I like to fly but I’m afraid when in the sky I see thunderbolt. But your friend’s story really so terrific.
Anjieya recently posted..When the design and the results do not correspond
Incredible story. Indeed a miracle.
What hit home is that you were on your way from/to the University of Miami. A fellow alum myself (albeit a British one – I was only there for a year) something hits home about this even more. I remember flying back to London with my fingers crossed the whole way.
Holy shit. This is insane.
I know it happens, but flying is still safer than getting in a car. So, I’ll keep at it.
There is a saying in Spanish, “Cuando le toco, le toco”.
When its you’re turn, well, its your turn. It was not his time to go. Glad your friend stayed safe.
Mica recently posted..Fiji, you’re so close to my next home!
I know crazy right? The thing that freaks me out about flying is that I feel kind of hopeless in the situation, at least in a car you’re the master of your own universe, sort of. But it’s true, I guess somebody thought it wasn’t time for those people to go. I have to fly up to NYC this week too :S
owh wow, what a story. I get really scared sometimes when I go into planes cause I wonder if I had to use those inflated life jackets, i would have panicked and just faint. haha..
ur lucky to know such a person
Thanks for sharing your story Ian.
Randol White recently posted..Salad and soup is new restaurant trend
OMG! I can so imagine how it was! During 2 years working as a stewardess we had many technical problems when it was really scary, thankfully nothing ever happened!
crazy sexy fun traveler recently posted..16 SEXY PHOTOS FROM MANZANILLO BEACH
I always think about the flight attendants when I fly. There could be crazy turbulence and I’m gripping my seat looking around at everyone scared shitless, and they can still float across the aisle serving drinks like it’s nothing. I guess you get used to it…
Jeremy recently posted..What to Do Do Do in Dubai!
This is one hell of an amazing post. It must have been terrifying! I would have panicked on impact and ran straight to an exit.
Jennifer recently posted..Getting more than we bargained for in a Saigon barbers
I couldn’t breathe as I read your words from the bird strike to the successful conclusion. My chest was tight. I might have cried a tiny bit. Ian, we’re all glad you’re still here to share this story and the thousands of others you’ll share over your life. Happy Alive Day.
Hi Ian
We are two Danish students from Aalborg University, (AAU), and we´re writing a report on the Miracle on the Hudson. We found your statements on this web site and we were hoping you could help us out with some questions regarding your experience of the airline and its efforts to help the passengers after the crash. Our problem statement involves primarily the care US Airways took for the passengers of flight 1549, (such as compensating baggage loss, refunding tickets, returning baggage, hotel booking, therapy sessions, supplying medicine, food, clothes, etc).
• How did you experience the customer care of US Airways, (on 15 Jan)?
• How was the general treatment of the passengers?
• Did you receive the $5,000 check as promised from the US Airways?
• Did you at any point consider filing a lawsuit against the airline?
Thank you for your time in advance. My facebook is attached here, if you´d like to answer the questions in private chat.
http://www.facebook.com/anita.e.christensen
Anita & Henriette
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