Hudson Ditching Hearing To Be Webcast
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James E. Swickard james_swickard@aviationweek.com
The NTSB's public hearing on the January bird strike and subsequent ditching of the US Airways A320 into the Hudson River is scheduled to open Tuesday, June 9 and continue through mid-day Thursday. It can be followed live via streaming video available through the Board's Web site home page, www.ntsb.gov .
The hearing, originally scheduled for two days, was extended to a third because of the scope of the investigative factual findings and its implications for every sector of aviation - not to mention the huge public interest.
There should be lots of operational information, and quite likely some bird-threat data that has never before been heard in one place.
The Safety Board will also open the public docket Tuesday at the start of the hearings. You can view and download the contents at the "FOIA Reading Room" at http://www.ntsb.gov/Info/foia_fri-dockets.htm .
The docket is a collection of facts and contains no conclusions. It includes investigative group factual reports, interview transcripts, CVR transcripts, FDR data and other documents from the investigation. In addition, docket items that will be used as exhibits during the public hearing will be available on the website under "Public Hearings"
The hearing will be held at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W. Washington, D.C.
In its announcement, the Board re-summarized the accident:
"On January 15, 2009, at approximately 3:27 p.m. EST, US Airways flight 1549, an Airbus Industrie A320 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, incurred multiple bird strikes during its initial departure climb from New York's La Guardia Airport (LGA). The airplane subsequently lost thrust to its engines and ditched in the Hudson River approximately three and a half minutes after striking the birds and about five minutes after leaving LGA. To date, of the five crewmembers and 150 passengers on board, five serious injuries have been reported."
Photo credit: New York City Fire Dept.
