All Passengers Alive After US Airways Jet Crash-Lands in Hudson River

A US Airways jet crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York Thursday afternoon when it lost power after apparently hitting a flock of birds. Fortunately, everyone aboard is off the plane and alive, said officials.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was an Airbus A320 with 148 passengers and four or five crew. There are no passengers remaining on the plane, but it is unknown if there are any serious injuries or not, explained FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown.

US Airways Flight 1549 was en route to Charlotte, N.C., when it lost power after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport after 3 p.m. EST.

“The engine blew. There was fire everywhere and it smelled like gas,” explained passenger Jeff Kolodjay of Connecticut. “People were bleeding all over. We hit the water pretty hard. It was scary.”

The plane survived the crash and remained floating in the river while passengers were rescued by standing on the wings as they waited for boats to transport them to land. City fire and police, U.S. Coast Guard units, and rescue boats arrived immediately, along with as many as eight ferries and local water taxi services helping to rescue passengers and dropping life jackets into the water.

“I saw the plane coming in very low but under control, it splashed down in the water. Once it cleared it was still floating on its belly,” explained Alex Whittaker who witnessed the crash from a Times Square Building. “The doors opened and we could see life rafts and we could just about see a few people climbing out onto the water.”

Brown said they were investigating reports that the Airbus 320 lost power after it hit a flock of birds, disabling at least one engine.

US Airways said in a statement it was investigating the incident.