Jet’s Plunge Into Hudson Stirs Bad Memories

Thank god all 150 passengers and five crew members aboard US Airways flight 1549, out of New York’s La Guardia Airport and bound for Charlotte, N.C., escaped safely after it plunged into the Hudson River. Thank god captain C. B. “Sully” Sullenberger knew what he was doing. The survivors are not only lucky, but, I’m sure, shell-shocked.

Viewing the coverage of this crash stirs bad memories of Delta flight 1491. That was my flight on February 21, 2006, which departed New York’s La Guardia Airport at 6:45am for Cincinnati. Minutes after takeoff, the cabin filled with smoke and we immediately returned for an emergency landing — fortunately with ease. (I learned our plane’s auxillary engine exploded, which my friend, a former U.S. Air Force pilot, described to me as a “catosrophic failure.”) That day freaked me out, and I still get anxious when I fly.

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Published by Max Kalehoff

Father, sailor and marketing executive.

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4 Comments

  1. One thing I learned during a “catostrophic” event on a jet is that it all goes down (no pun intended) QUICKLY! Jets are vulnerable. If someone really wants to do damage, it's not that hard.

  2. One thing I learned during a “catostrophic” event on a jet is that it all goes down (no pun intended) QUICKLY! Jets are vulnerable. If someone really wants to do damage, it's not that hard.

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