Jan 19, 2009 6:33 pm US/Eastern
Balt. Man Relives Plane Crash Into Hudson River
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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A flock of birds sent a plane into the Hudson River in New York for an emergency landing last week, and a Baltimore lawyer was among the passengers on that flight.
A flock of birds sent a plane into the Hudson River in New York for an emergency landing last week.
As
Mike Hellgren reports, a lawyer from Baltimore was among those on flight 1549.
Jim Hanks was at the very back of the plane, and it started filling up with water first and fast.
Video showed the terrifying landing of the US Airways plane into the frigid Hudson River after birds likely hit the engines.
Hanks, a partner in Baltimore's Venable Law Firm, was on board.
"Sort of sounded like a small explosion, and immediately, everything went silent," said Hanks. "The pilot came on and said brace for impact."
He put his head in his hands, and the wait was pure anguish.
"Every few seconds, I would sneak a look to the left and to the right to see where we were," said Hanks.
Then came the impact.
"Immediately everything started flying around. The overhead compartments opened up," he said. "I wound up with a big piece of metal in my lap.
He got up and went to the back door--unaware that the plan was at an angle, the nose out of the water, the back end sinking.
"The water had risen from my waist to around my neck, and at that point, I thought I was going to drown," said Hanks.
His mind raced as he thought of his wife and daughter.
"Some pretty grim thoughts about how they wouldn't have a husband and father," he said.
That's when he saw a way out.
"As I walked forward, the water level dropped to my chest and my waist, and I could see that people were really getting out quickly," said Hanks.
And so did he. The blankets the Red Cross draped around his cold, wet body are a reminder of the unforgettable flight.
"There are probably other people who are better able to deal with what's a miracle and what isn't, but I'm not going to argue with that characterization," said Hanks.
Hanks says he has no hesitations about flying in the future.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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