Today we begin with our operation and human performance investigation on the crash of U.S Airways Flight 1549...
Water landing.
Captain?
This was not a crash. It wasn't a ditching.
We knew what we were trying to execute here, there was not a... it's not a crash, it was a forced water landing.
Why didn't you attempt to return to LaGuardia?
There simply was not enough altitude.
The Hudson was the only place that was long enough and smooth enough
and wide enough to even attempt to land the airplane safely.
Air traffic testified that you stated you were
returning to LaGuardia, but you did not.
I realized I couldn't make it back and it would have eliminated
all the other options, returning to LaGuardia would have been a mistake.
Ok, well, let's get into how you calculated all those parameters.
There was no time for calculating.
I had to rely on my experience of managing the altitude and
speed of thousands of flights over four decades.
You're saying you didn't do, any....
I eyeballed it.
You eyeballed it?
Yes.