Flight 1549 Recovery (Spill Response Program)
Site #0811393
Crews gather to respond to crash
Description
Flight 1549 developed engine trouble shortly after departing from LaGuardia Airport in Queens on the afternoon of January 15, 2009, and was forced to make a crash landing on the Hudson River. The pilot made a successful "splash down", and all 155 people on board were rescued. The plane then moved with the tidal flow down the river and grounded near the financial district of Manhattan. This amazing landing and rescue became a world-wide story. However, a lesser known effort to prevent contamination of the Hudson River also took place that day.
Staff from DEC's Division of Environmental Remediation (DER) were among the key responders to the Flight 1549 crash event. DER staff met regularly with the U.S. Coast Guard and other responders to develop a plan to mitigate the release of jet fuel from the plane. The plan would need to protect the area of immediate concern, the World Financial Center's ventilation system, and capture any fuel utilizing the workboats on standby. Due to weather conditions, as well as the logistics involving the use of a 500-ton crane to lift a 133-foot aircraft out of the river, safety was a critical concern. DER staff were positioned along the shoreline a safe distance south of the grounding site, allowing them to inspect the aircraft and the waters around it for signs of jet fuel release.
The plane is lifted slowly from the Hudson River
Response
The plane was lifted by crane and gently placed onto the deck of a barge. No fuel could be seen coming from the plane at that point. Upon settling on the deck of the barge, crews immediately checked for seepage of jet fuel from the wings. The left wing developed a leak, and some fuel was released into the river. This spill was addressed, the leak plugged, and the wing removed. Meanwhile, DEC was in direct communication with World Financial Center staff, and no odors were detected in that building complex during the lift operation. Finally, the plane was transported to New Jersey for further examination by the National Traffic Safety Board.
