When Mark Wilkinson, a pilot on the tarmac at La Guardia, heard a jet was going down in the Hudson, he knew the odds of survival were grim. Here is his tale of his experience:
We were taxiing to Runway 4 as the US Airways took off.
Around 3:30 p.m., the ground controller frantically asked the rescue team what they had seen and the reply was a vague, “He’s in the water.”
We knew an airplane had gone down.
Seconds later, a query came on the radio: “What type was it?”
The answer was terrifying. “Airbus 319 or 320, Cactus.” Cactus is US Airways’ call sign. The ground frequency went dead silent.
Every pilot no doubt contemplated the fate of the US Airways crew and their passengers on such a frigid day with the typically bad odds of ditching an airliner.
We sat on the taxiway for the next 45 minutes, looking at Manhattan.
We learned everyone had survived only by listening to AM news.
Later, over the area where the wreckage floated, we flew in complete silence.
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