Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash
Programme Summary:
On Thursday 15th January 2009, 155 people on board US Airways flight 1549 faced their worst nightmare. Just two minutes into the flight, a flock of birds struck the plane, taking out both engines. With no power, Captain Chesley Sullenberger decides he has only one real option: to guide his crippled plane away from crowded Manhattan and attempt the near impossible – to land in the Hudson River.
Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash is a fast turnaround documentary that tells the minute by minute story of that day through the compelling first hand testimonies of those who were there - from the crew, passengers, eyewitnesses and the rescuers. At the heart of the programme are the passengers who shared this life-changing experience. Few people have faced death in a plane crash and lived to tell their tale. Woven with archive from the day, these candid, honest interviews will reveal what it’s like to think you only have seconds to live.
In addition the programme will forensically unpack how the plane managed to land so successfully on water. Using an airline flight simulator, CGI, and an experienced airline pilot we will recreate the fateful flight and explore how Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger managed to execute a textbook ditching and avert a catastrophe in the middle of New York City.
Programme Info:
Broadcaster: Channel 4/Discovery
Distributor: IMG
Genre: Factual
Format: 1 x 60 min
Production year: 2009
Producer: Charlotte Surtees
Director: Marc Tiley
Executive Producers: Ali Turner and Tom Brisley