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January 17, 2009
Ain't no miracle
Plane crash into Hudson River, originally uploaded by grego!.
I've been thinking about this for awhile, and I don't think the plane that crashed into the Hudson was saved by a miracle. That's what NY Gov. Paterson calls it, and that's what the news media calls it.
I think it was no miracle. A miracle happens for unknowable, unexplainable reasons. Nobody can explain why a miracle happens, and there are very few of them.
There's one reason 155 people walked off that airplane yesterday, with few serious injuries. That reason in the pilot, a certain Mr. Chesley Sullenberger. This guy safely landed the plane in one of the world's busiest waterways, with both engines knocked out, and THEN he made sure everyone was off the plane before he left.
Pilots, especially those flying airplanes laden with people, must always be calm. Mr. Sullenberger kept his cool, surveyed the options, and made the right choice. To call it a miracle lessens his role in this.
entry no. 1278
Posted at January 17, 2009 04:13 PM