Recording reveals drama of Hudson 'miracle' flight

A newly-released recording reveals the drama of Flight 1549 from almost the minute it left the ground.

Minutes after the US Airways jet took off, a witness called the police and fire emergency services and reported hearing a big boom and seeing the plane on fire.

The man in the Bronx told the emergency dispatcher: “I’m witnessing an aeroplane. It’s going down. It’s on fire.”

He later said the plane was turning, adding: “I don’t know where its going to fall.”

The plane departed from LaGuardia Airport at 3:26pm local time. The emergency call began three minutes later.

Four minutes later, a woman called from Manhattan to report the plane had hit the water.

“A plane has just crashed into the Hudson River,” she said. “Oh my gosh ... it is going toward downtown.”

Ferries and emergency crews sped to the scene moments later. Investigators now say the right engine of the “miracle” jet is still attached to the aeroplane.

A spokeswoman for the US National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday that both engines broke apart from the jet after it hit the water.

But NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said today that the engine is still on the plane. He said visibility in the water was so bad earlier that divers could not see the engine.