It wasn't a miracle either. Training, engineering and some good fortune (having a big river to ditch into, not hitting any boats or other obstacles, having enough altitude to position the plane properly and retain enough airspeed to keep control etc.) saved the day.
Reading the news about this incident I discovered the existence of the "ditch switch". One control -- hit it and all the underside ports and vents on the fuselage close watertight, saving the crew thirty seconds of pounding their way through a complicated "preparations for landing on water" checklist that they've practiced but are not intimately familiar with. Brilliant idea. Expect to see it in all new aircraft cockpits (plus a lot of retrofits) from now on.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-01-16 10:22 pm (UTC)Reading the news about this incident I discovered the existence of the "ditch switch". One control -- hit it and all the underside ports and vents on the fuselage close watertight, saving the crew thirty seconds of pounding their way through a complicated "preparations for landing on water" checklist that they've practiced but are not intimately familiar with. Brilliant idea. Expect to see it in all new aircraft cockpits (plus a lot of retrofits) from now on.