It's the Two-Year Anniversary of the 'Miracle on the Hudson'

January 14, 2011 at 3:28 PM | by JetSetCD | Comments (0)

Technically tomorrow is the exact anniversary, but tonight's a Friday night and we're looking for an excuse to toast a shot of Grey Goose.

Do you remember where you were when US Airways Flight 1549 from New York-LaGuardia to Charlotte only made it as far as the Hudson River, ditching into the water after bird strikes took out both engines? We do—we were working, but then threw on our boots and walked about a mile in the 10-degree air and slush to get as close to it as possible, just to see the Airbus A320 still floating and being slowly tugged over to the side of the river.

All 155 passengers and crew survived, with only 5 bad injuries despite the fact that they glided on no power, then freaking landed in a freezing river. Last year on the anniversary, they all came back to the city and took a boat out to the spot where they faced one of the most harrowing moments of their lives. There they enjoyed a little party, celebrating the fact that they were alive, thanks to the actions of their calm and quick-thinking pilot Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger. Since there's no such shindig this year, let's look back on what's happened since that historic day:

· January, 2009: Two weeks after the incident, Sully gets the key to his city. Passengers still don't have their sodden luggage back.

· February 2009: Passengers debate how much compensation they're likely to receive. Meanwhile, a singer-songwriter who was onboard the flight wrote a song for Sully.

· March 2009: Even the Air Traffic Controllers who handled the incident receive awards at a convention in Las Vegas.

· April 2009: Fires near Myrtle Beach further delay a golf trip planned by a group of guys on the US Airways flight.

· October 2009: Sully returns to the skies, flying again as a regular US Airways pilot.

· January 2010: The First Anniversary includes a party sponsored by Grey Goose. Meanwhile, the airplane re-emerges on sale online.

· March 2010: Captain Sully retires.

· November 2010: NYC Harbor Tours advertise the fact that tourists can see the landing spot on their tours..

· January 2011: The Airbus airplane still hasn't been sold, may be headed to a Museum instead.

[Photo: NYT/Ellen Tordesillas]