Did you know…
How much time passed between the bird strike and Flight 1549's ditching in the Hudson?
Short answer
Less than four minutes. The aircraft struck a flock of Canada geese at 3:27:11 p.m., at 2,818 feet (859 m); Sullenberger made the mayday call at 3:27:33 p.m., and about ninety seconds later, at 3:30 p.m., the aircraft ditched with no power. The last person left the plane at 3:55 p.m.
The strike and the seconds that followed
At 3:27:11 p.m., during the initial climb, the aircraft struck a flock of Canada geese at 2,818 feet (859 m), about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-northwest of LaGuardia. The plane lost speed but kept climbing for another 19 seconds, to about 3,060 feet (930 m) at a speed of about 185 knots (343 km/h), before entering a glide descent. After confirming both engines had shut down, Sullenberger took the controls while Skiles ran the engine-restart checklist. At 3:27:33 p.m., Sullenberger issued a mayday call to New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON).
Less than four minutes to the water
About ninety seconds later, at 3:30 p.m., the aircraft made a powerless ditching, descending southward at about 125 knots (230 km/h). The time elapsed between the bird strike and the ditching was less than four minutes.
The evacuation on the river
Sullenberger opened the cockpit door and gave the order to evacuate. The last person was pulled from the aircraft at 3:55 p.m.
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