Miracle on the Hudson-Flight 1549 - 15 January, 2009 By Douglas Schrift 18 February 2009 I am sitting at the gate speaking to a couple of women, one named Amy from Gaffney, SC about the variety of spa services being offered in an open spa area by the gate. The Airbus was late leaving LaGuardia and it helps pass the time. It’s a funny conversation about whether the spa should be more private. The conversation continues as we walk down the airplane platform. They tell me a man was receiving a “back wax.” Amy and her friend laugh as I squirm. I half heartedly joke about something so medieval.

I’m seated in 6D. This is a right side aisle seat just a few rows behind first class. The airplane is configured with three seats on each side. Next to me is an airline employee. I am one of the last few to board and he arrives after me. He is elated there is room on the flight. We wait. We take off. I rest my eyes.

I am jolted with a loud grinding of metal and pops. We drop in altitude, not violent, and then coast lower. Most of the passengers around me appear to be frequent flyers. We are used to turbulence. There is no panic, but there is some fear. I ask the passenger next to the window what happened and he notes that we hit some

birds. I ask him how he can be sure and he notes the timing from when the birds passed by his window until the engine was hit. I hear clicking. Like trying to start a car with a dead battery, but amplified. I know airplanes can be flown safely with one engine and think I may have to spend the night in New York. I make an attempt at humor to break the tension and a few smile. We continue to drop and I smell something burning. I see condominiums and other buildings. We are low. I am worried.

The first and only words from the pilot: "Brace for impact." My heart stops.

"Did he just say to prepare for impact?" I hear a few passengers ask in unison as their voices taper off into the silence. The flight attendants start to chant. A creepy chant like from a horror movie. Their words blur… "Grab your ankles…" Having got the point, I am no longer listening.

People have asked me what was going through my mind at this time. I juggle whether there is anything I can do to survive, whether there is time to call Nicole, I pull out my cell phone, but do nothing more than fumble a couple of keys, I ask for God’s grace, I say a short prayer for Nicole and the kids. Oddly, I remember adding the flight at the last minute as though it were an afterthought. There is not enough time (perhaps a minute or so).

The airplane is quiet with the exception of someone sobbing with a muffled howl from somewhere in the back. I hear another passenger break the silence by asking, "How close?" One other passenger responded, "We’re on the water." Meaning we were about to crash. Both the question and answer were clear and matter of fact… monotone. I drop the phone. Feeling awkward with my neck exposed to the seat in front of me, I instead lift my right arm up over my head and lean towards the aisle. Perhaps I will tumble through the aisle when the airplane breaks open. If I survive impact, maybe I can swim to the surface. Within seconds we hit hard and it hurts, but I’m alive.

It feels like being rear-ended in a car. I am in disbelief as I look around at the other passengers. I quickly unbuckle my belt and start heading towards the front of the airplane. As I start to proceed, I realize I forget my life preserver. Turning back never crosses my mind. I instead reach down and grab a seat cushion from a vacated seat. There is a frightened young girl (maybe age 6) clinging to the bulkhead. She is screaming and in her other arm she is clutching a stuffed animal. I think of Alex and Simon and my heart goes out to her. Her mother (I assume) is having trouble staying calm and cannot press her daughter forward. I extend my hand back to her and tell her everything is ok. This is not a lie. I believe we are going to be fine. Amazingly, she takes my hand and walks with me. It think they are both Hispanic and I'm not even sure they speak English. Perhaps only 10 or 15 seconds has passed since impact.

Sheila (an attendant I would formally meet later at the terminal) is having trouble with the door and I extend my left arm while I assist the mother and daughter down the chute. So this is why I am in the position of keeping the door open. The chute is an extension of the raft and it is attached to the airplane. Sheila tells me to keep the door open. While she makes multiple trips helping to evacuate others, I keep the door open with my left arm and continue to help passengers with my right arm. Some passengers come fast and in a panic. Sheila arrives with Doreen (another attendant) who is struggling to walk. She is in pain and as I lower her down, I notice blood all over me and along the chute. I ask her where she is hurt and she responds that she does not know. She appears exhausted and flustered. She pulls up her left pant leg and there are two deep gashes in her shin. I shout to the other passengers to help wrap her leg to stop the bleeding. As they lower her further into the raft, I see a young woman standing in the raft with a long white scarf around her neck. We make eye contact and I’m not sure if she is wondering whether the scarf will

suffice for the injury or if she is simply frozen with fear. Over her shoulder, I see a ferry approaching from the distance.

As I hear someone mention a doctor on the raft, I am lowering an elderly lady down the chute. She is sobbing. I remember her requiring assistance to walk when we boarded the airplane. Another gentleman takes her from my arms and does a good job of moving her off to the side as more passengers come out the door. Around this time I look over my left shoulder and down the side of the airplane to a line of passengers exiting over the wing. I do not realize they’re on the wing and believe their raft is sinking due to the weight of so many people. The water is about a foot over their feet. I catch the eye of a young mother. Her blouse is torn and she is gripping the cavity of the airplane door with one hand and a baby (maybe 6 months old) with the other hand. I have so much fear for her and the baby. My heart is heavy. I yell to her to come back up through the airplane to our raft. We have room. We have to have room. She either cannot hear me or feels moving back onto the airplane is too risky. Perhaps there is now too much water in that part of the airplane. I tell Sheila the other raft is sinking. Sheila returns with about half a dozen more passengers. No mother and baby. All of this in a flash of time that feels like time is standing still.

Sheila slides down onto the raft and Captain Sullenberger, still on the airplane, orders us to 'disengage' the raft. Sheila pulls the cords, but the raft remains attached. I then try and also have no success. I slip into the airplane doorway and pull the cords from that side. Nothing happens, but then Captain Sullenberger comes into the area and I ask him how to 'disengage' the raft. He is very calm and pulls a yellow velcro rubber tab to expose the cords. He shouts for me to pull a small metal pin holding some cables in place. His directions are clear and concise. I pull the pin and the raft begins to tear from the airplane. I’m still on the airplane and I am cognizant of the urgency of making sure I am in the raft. (I do not see the Captain again until the terminal, but because of the chaos after the rescue we first speak yesterday). I slip down onto the raft, but the airplane, I believe the door that wouldn’t stay open, catches on some portion of the raft. The gentleman who helped me with the elderly lady now helps me push on the airplane to dislodge the raft.

The ferry is on us and the passengers in our raft shout to the ferry to first help the passengers stranded on the wing. I see these passengers trying to reach the ladder on the ferry. It isn’t easy. The gentleman who helped me dislodge the raft shouts that we are tangled with the airplane. A blue cord is stuck and it is pulling down on the raft. At this point, we absolutely want to be 'unattached' from the airplane. I shout to the passengers on the raft for a blade and quickly realize this is a dumb question. We then shout to an older passenger on the ferry to throw us a knife. It is a beautiful knife and I think to myself, please don't drop this knife in the Hudson. In hindsight, this is a strange thought given the circumstances. The toss is high and the other gentleman catches the knife over my head and cuts the cord.

As the ferry crew raises the older women onto the ferry, I believe our ordeal is now finally over. After having waited for what seemed like an eternity, passengers are getting impatient, but the crew is doing a great job. The attendant with the hurt leg is on the ladder and the crew is struggling to help her ascend. She doesn’t appear to be able to place weight on her leg and I worry she may slip off of the ladder and into the river. I climb onto the bottom of the ladder. It is wet and cold. I place my arm between her legs and lift her on a very fast one, two, three count. She screams and I worry that I am hurting her. However, the crew is able to raise her up and I quickly follow.

People have different reactions to stressful situations. However, from my observations, I never saw anyone act in a way that was shameful or callous or in a way that threatened their safety or the safety of others. Perhaps it was the makeup of the passengers who were likely frequent flyers with similar traits. Perhaps it was because the passengers mostly appeared to be traveling without family and had only to reconcile their own emotions and outcome. Perhaps it was because the front of the airplane did not quickly take on water, there was no fire, it was not night, or we were in shock to be alive.

Yesterday, we had a 60 Minutes 'reunion' here in Charlotte. I am not sure how many passengers attended (maybe 50). We spoke with the Captain and crew from the flight. It was a nice occasion. Not formal at all. It was especially nice meeting Sheila again although the cameras made it difficult for anything more than a somewhat brief and awkward conversation. Although I am sure the crew is exhausted, they were very gracious. I never thought I would have the opportunity to express my personal gratitude to Sheila and yesterday allowed me the occasion to say thank you. One of the producers sought me out and noted that Sheila had shared our experience, she still had my ticket stub, and how excited she was to return it to me (I gave it to her at the terminal after the accident). Oddly, she did not actually have the ticket stub on her. I gave her my contact information and hope to hear from her.

I also got to visit with Amy and her friend (who was just released from the hospital on Sunday for hyperthermia). I did not see the elderly lady, the gentleman who helped me in the raft, the mother and daughter, or the young mom with the baby. Even so, this was a nice celebration and a good opportunity for me to speak with some others from the flight.

After yesterday, I realize everyone has a different story depending on where they were seated in the airplane. Some saw more panic as water continued to fill the airplane and patience wore thin. Others again noted the 'pettiness' of a passenger trying to retrieve luggage, passengers crawling over seats (perhaps as instructed), passengers who jumped into the Hudson (worried about an explosion), and how their lives have changed. One passenger was upfront and unabashed by a decision he made which would haunt me if I had made it. I can only attest to what I personally witnessed/recall. I am sure somewhere in my story I have forgotten or missed something. I was teased that 'only' my feet got wet, one passenger was angry that her boss kept telling her story for her... "while she was present and not correctly!", and we swapped stories about Mayor Bloomberg’s entourage at the terminal (I'm guessing at least 25), an altercation between a passenger and a tabloid photographer, the helpfulness of the New York City fire and police departments, the FBI, Red Cross socks, the ferry crew, the welcoming presence of a priest, and so many individuals who were understanding and helpful after the accident. I returned the call from the NTSB, but never heard back. I obviously have some suggestions, but maybe they feel they have what they need.

On the ferry, I borrowed a telephone from another passenger and left a voicemail for Nicole. Once in the terminal, I repeatedly borrowed a telephone from a Lieutenant who initially saw the blood on my dress shirt and questioned whether I was injured. She even took Nicole’s call. Nicole was calm and reached out to family and my employer to let them know I was ok. At this time, my employer had just learned I was on the flight, but was unsure of my situation. Nicole actually touched base with them first. I inquire about the mother and baby and am told everyone made it off ok. What a relief.

My boss and a safety manager for my employer were able to access the site. The safety manager gave me his phone to keep and my boss brought me a coat. I used the safety manager’s phone for the remainder of the night to speak with mom and dad and others. I actually knew someone on the flight and he was anxious to leave, as was I. He borrowed my bosses coat and the four of us, looking like security personnel, walked past the media without trouble. We walked approximately three blocks until we caught a cab. My employer arranged for Nicole to fly to New York. A cousin watched the boys. Having left my wallet on the airplane, my boss purchased some clothes and a dry pair of shoes for me. It was late and we checked into the Hyatt. We walked down the street to O’Neil’s and took a table in the back. A couple of other employees joined us. Word spread quickly in the bar and a few offered to buy rounds, but everyone was respectful. We left around midnight. My boss walked a block towards his apartment and I walked a block to the hotel. Nicole called me on the cell phone just as I was turning the corner to the hotel entrance. We both arrived early and at the same time. We then went down to a diner were we stayed up talking late into early morning.

It is hard to reach out to everyone to personally express my gratitude. Thank you for your understanding and prayers. It has meant so much to us. It’s especially gratifying to be part of a story which could have ended so badly, but ended up being so positive (vs. the alternative). People ask if I have any anxiety about flying. I do not. I flew again last week. People ask if I have changed. Yes, but I am not sure how. While I take it day by day, I am also not fragile. I can laugh about these circumstances as I tend to find some humor in almost everything. Sunday night dad and I joked about whether the gut wrenching last minutes of the Superbowl where as difficult on me as the minutes before the crash. I told him it was a coin toss.

If I missed returning an e-mail, I am sorry. Feel free to reach out to me again.. There were so many e-mails and telephone calls in the days following the accident that some messages have slipped through the cracks. However, it is great to hear from everyone.

Be good,

Douglas

Responses to often asked questions: - Nicole and I flew back to Charlotte the next day. We were seated in the back of the airplane.

Row 28 I recall. It was claustrophobic. Coffin like. Nicole brought paper for me and I wrote the above story. The NY tabloids had purchased airplane tickets and sat next to us. I was irritated at the time because one of them was trying to read my notes. However, the lady sitting next to Nicole was very nice to both of us, but I didn’t want to talk. In hindsight, I was probably too sensitive.

- There were many sleepless nights following the accident, but I started flying again almost immediately and I have flown frequently ever since. I have no issues with flying, but understand that this is not typical for all passengers.

- For me, I kept rethinking that day. My mind was in overdrive. When not working, I passed a lot of my down time learning to play guitar. It eventually became an important goal for me to meet the nameless people who had become such a visual part of my memory.

- The passenger sitting next to me, who responded when I asked what hit the airplane, was a young pilot “jump seating.” Derek Alter did not work for US Airways.

- Tess Sosa’s blouse was open because she had been nursing her baby. - The lady we gently lowered into the raft was Lucille Palmer. She was 85. - The gentleman helping take hold of Lucille from inside the raft was John Howell. John was also

the gentlemen who reached up to catch the knife. - While I was shouting towards the passengers on the wing that we have room on the raft, Glen

Carlson made eye contact. He later communicated to me that he had considered swimming towards the raft, but instead came back into the airplane and with others exited into the right side raft. I remember them moving through the doorway so quickly that I thought they may bounce others from the raft and into the water.

- Craig Black was the passenger who exited the terminal with us. We dropped him at a hotel in NY. I knew him only because he was an auditor on our company account ten years prior.

- I have never met or heard from the mother and daughter. My last memory of the young girl is her standing in the raft. She was perfectly dressed in a warm winter coat. The NTSB told me they wish to remain anonymous. The representative noted they spoke limited English. We have never met.

- One other passenger I vividly recall was Michelle Winegar. She was standing in the raft, red hair, scarf, and looked somewhat like an apparition to me. Behind her in the distance, I could make out the ship which would later be identified as the Thomas Jefferson. We didn’t meet until the first anniversary party. Until then, I honestly started to question her existence.

- At one point, the weather being so cold, I asked Captain Sullenberger to grab the coats from first class. He threw an armful of what appeared to be expensive furs in the direction of the raft and many floated down the Hudson River.

- Having flown between LaGuardia and Charlotte many times, I was aware we were heading towards the water. Upon impact, I foolishly did not grab a life preserver. While I did grasp a seat cushion, I did not have it with me when I reached the door. I can only speculate that I

perhaps tossed it aside to free up a hand when I was grabbed the door. I do still have a yellow airline life preserver that another passenger must have left behind on the Thomas Jefferson.

- I went forward, and not backwards, because I could see passengers finally moving out the left front door. The direction behind me appeared too congested.

- Flight Attendant Doreen Welsh indicates a passenger opened the back door of the airplane while several passengers witnessed it being Doreen Welsh. I wasn’t in the back of the airplane. Regardless, everyone agrees water entered quickly through punctures in the fuselage. Having viewed Doreen’s injuries up close, upon reflection they appear to be from her perhaps hitting her legs on the metal framing that had torn through the fuselage.

- When I ascended back onto the airplane to ask Captain Sullenberger how to disengage the raft, I recall him standing in the isle and the water was now deep in the back of the airplane. He appeared to be confirming everyone had made it off ok.

- There were many police affiliated organizations at the ferry terminal. Upon leaving, a gentlemen appearing to be an FBI agent engaged me. He stood approximately 5’ 6”, wore a long tan trench coat, and a fedora. Speaking in a Joe Friday tone, “Excuse me sir,... I know you were on the airplane. I won’t stop you, but I need your name.” Then, he takes a small paper tablet and bowling pencil from inside his coat and writes down my full name and seat number.

- After dropping Craig at the hotel, I went to a men’s store, Joseph A Banks. The store must have been closed or closing as I recall the manager coming to the door and no one else being inside. I was wet and my shirt was bloodstained. I removed all my clothes and dressed into a complete new outfit. I left everything, shoes and all, on the floor of the changing room.

- The scene was surreal at O’Neill’s Irish Bar (a few blocks from the Grand Hyatt). It was jammed with people watching live coverage of the accident. Initially, oblivious that I was on the flight, but eventually there were random shots on the table. I still stop by on occasion when in the city.

- The Super Bowl reference is the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Arizona Cardinals in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIII.

- The NTSB did eventually interview me and all other passengers. They retrieved and categorized every belonging from the flight. Opening the boxes, one by one, felt so raw. Of course, nothing was salvageable. I still have my damaged laptop and a “lucky” water stained five dollar bill.

- Shelia and I have met few times since the accident. She eventually mailed my airline ticket stub (a few weeks after we met during the videoing for the 60 Minutes show).

- Surprising to many of you, there was no great outreach by US Airways following the accident. US Airways offered Chairman status for future flights, which was revoked after a year, and sent a check for $10,000. They asked that I sign a statement promising not to sue. Sue for what? I always considered this accident no different than a bus hitting a deer on a highway.

- I immediately went back to work following the MLK Day holiday. I wrote thank you letters to the pilots of course, but also Sheila, the NY police women who checked in on me at the NY Waterway terminal, and the owner of the NY Waterway. We send Captain Sullenberger’s family Christmas cards and our family enjoys receiving their card in return.

Katie Couric Show I met many passengers during the mentioned 60 Minutes videoing as well as during a Christmas time videoing of the Oprah Whinfrey show. I participated in a book with other passengers called “Miracle on the Hudson.” These were all very unique experiences. On January 16, 2013, I was invited along with a few other passengers, as guests on the Katie Couric show. I was again able to thank Captain Sullenberger and meet his entire family. The theme was passengers who had babies since the accident. Cecelia and I flew into NY for the show. It was a great experience and one which I will always remember. Cecelia was seventeen months old and while back stage she playfully sat on Lori Sullenberger’s lap for an extended period of time. During the show, Cecelia walked straight over to Katie, nearly falling off a step on the stage. Katie picked her up. Recognizing Cecelia’s age and that I might not remember everything, when we returned from Katie Couric I wrote a letter to Cecelia detailing our trip together. It’s in the attic and I intend to give her the letter in the future…perhaps for her 16th birthday. Unfortunately, my recording of the Katie Couric show was lost when the DVR later broke and I have been unable to obtain another copy. Charlotte Aviation Museum The airplane is housed in Charlotte at the Aviation Museum. Only once was I allowed onto the airplane (along with many other passengers). Having been pulled from the bottom of the Hudson River, the inside is in poor shape. There was a loose board covering the holes in the floor in the back of the airplane.

Picture of Katie holding Cecelia and drawing a smile from hero Sully:

September 10, 2016 Update Sully

There is renewed interest in the story of Flight 1549 following the soon to be released movie Sully directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Captain Sullenberger. Unfortunately, I am not on Facebook and missed last fall’s invitation to attend the Aviation Museum videoing session for the movie. Not meeting Clint Eastwood is the one time I regret not being more engaged on social media. This past Wednesday, passengers were invited to an early preview of Sully. Attendance was limited to three guests. Nicole, Alex (13) and Simon (12) joined me while Shepherd (8) and Cecelia (5) stayed at home.

I attended with a little apprehension. While the outcome was positive (spoiler alert, everyone lives), this flight was also a surreal, if not distressing, experience. I wondered about my own reaction and the reaction of other passengers as we witnessed a reenactment on the big screen where emotions are often manipulated to achieve maximum effect. I was also concerned with how Nicole and the boys might respond. During one movie scene, while the airline attendants chanted for the passengers to “brace…,” I was surprised to feel the pace of my heart accelerate. A physical response that stopped as quickly as it had started. Subsequent to the movie, various passengers noted strong emotions at various times. A few communicated when “155”, the count of survivors on board, was referenced. We were each given a Sully movie promo hat. I grabbed a couple extra hats for Shepherd and Cecelia and they wear them proudly.

Even before the premiere, I was being asked my opinion of the movie. Sully is a quality movie, with enough humor, and one I suggest you take time to see in the theater given the big screen power of the airplane scene(s). Of course, there is the Hollywood reality versus the fading memories of 155 Siskel & Eberts and condensing this story, with the multiple NTSB hearings over an extended period of time, is not easy. Tom Hanks was great as usual. While I do not know how First Officer Jeff Skiles absorbed and reacted to Flight 1549 after the accident, I have met Jeff and in my opinion Aaron Eckhart did an excellent job portraying Skiles’ humorous quips. In addition, the scene where Patrick Harten (air traffic controller) is left alone in the room: absolutely true. He conveyed this exact story to me and others over dinner one night here in Charlotte while he acted out every word spoken between him and Captain Sullenberger (using table silverware to demonstrate the available runways). It has now been nearly eight years since the accident, and with time I no longer recall as many details. While recently retelling my story to a producer for Inside Edition, I hesitantly commented about Captain Sullenberger wearing his hat. Perhaps, but I think this is doubtful and Hollywood probably got this one right. Do I remember the lights going off in the cabin? I honestly do not, but this absolutely may have happened. It was particularly odd to view a scene where the injured Doreen is seated in the front right doorway, yet I am not there alongside her…a movie scene so specific that it left me feeling erased. A few passengers noted disappointment that more consideration wasn’t given to the accuracy of seated passengers (e.g. age & gender). I was seated in 6D, on the isle, three rows behind the bulkhead separating first

class, initially exhausted with my eyes closed. I’ll need to rent the movie and pause the action to see who is in “my” seat. Regardless, in the end, I believe Hollywood stayed truer to this very real story than most. The movie is a story about Captain Sullenberger. He is a man who saved my life and the life of so many others. Captain Sullenberger was also a true hero during a time when the country absolutely needed one. On these points, Hollywood definitely nailed it.