US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1456 (A320-214)
US Airways Flight 1456 was US Airways scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, and onward to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320-214 flying this route struck a flock of Canada Geese during its initial climb out, lost engine power, and ditched in the Hudson River off midtown Manhattan. The incident became known as the "Miracle on the Hudson". * AIRCRAFT:
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-214, registered N106US, powered by two GE Aviation/Snecma-designed CFM56-5B4/P turbofan engines manufactured in France and the U.S. One of 74 A320s then in service in the US Airways fleet, it was built by Airbus with final assembly at its facility at Aéroport de Toulouse-Blagnac in France in June 1999. Delivered to the carrier on August 2, 1999, the airliner was registered to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, NA, as owner/Lessor with AIG listed as the lead insurer.
The Airbus A320 is a digital fly-by-wire aircraft: the flight control surfaces are moved by electrical and hydraulic actuators controlled by a digital computer. The computer interprets pilot commands via input from a side-stick, making adjustments on its own to keep the plane stable and on course, which is particularly useful after engine failure by allowing the pilots to concentrate on engine restart and landing planning. * INCIDENT:
US Airways Flight 1456 (also designated under a Star Alliance code share agreement as United Airlines Flight