This event will certainly go down in the history of aviation, it will teach young American pilots and test the knowledge of the current flight crew.

As befits a Hollywood movie, this story has the main character- former military pilot, 57-year-old pilot Chesley Sullenberger, nicknamed Sally. And a worthy happy ending - after the plane he was flying landed on the water, all 150 passengers were saved.

Moreover, the pilot left the board, as befits a sea captain, the last. He examined the plane twice to make sure once again that people had left the sinking airship.

The American media reproduced the chronicle of the flight incident. At 15:26 local time, the Airbus A-320 took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport. But he did not manage to gain a given height. Having risen about 800 meters, 30-45 seconds after takeoff, the pilot reported emergency situation- a collision of an aircraft with at least two birds. Passengers will become aware of this later - already on the ground. Those who were in the cabin, pinned down by seat belts, looking out of the windows with curiosity, described what happened in the same way - "something loudly banged, the plane staggered, and there was a smell of burning."

It is hard to imagine what people experienced when they realized that the liner, which was taking off, began to lose altitude sharply. Everyone understood that something was happening and it was not turbulence. Some passengers sitting closer to the tail saw flames burst from the engines and they began to smoke. It became unusually quiet. The words "fasten your seat belts" continued to burn on the scoreboard. At this critical moment, a message from the pilot about the upcoming landing on the water followed. The pilot warned passengers about a possible "strong blow".

What happened in the cockpit became known from the transcript of the recordings of Sally's conversations with the control room. Initially, the crew requested a landing at the airport of departure. However, it quickly became clear that a return was impossible. Then it was decided to reach the nearest runway in the state of New Jersey, neighboring New York. But after about three minutes of flight, the pilot transmitted to the ground that he would not be able to keep the car in the air. Then the idea came up to land the plane on the only open area suitable in size - in the park, located along the route of the plane. But the control room found out that the risk is too great, because the park is being repaired. The last chance to save passengers was landing on the water, in the Hudson, which separates Manhattan from New Jersey. This decision was forced and, according to experts, very difficult.

“The huge difficulty lies in the fact that the airbus, which Sally piloted, has engines located under the wings. When landing on the water, he had to make sure that the engines did not touch the water. Otherwise, the liner would simply bury its nose in the water. Therefore, the pilot had to do all to glide on the surface of the water for as long as possible, keeping the nose of the aircraft above the surface," professional pilots explain the intricacies of landing in the Hudson.

Another serious danger was represented by ships that the airbus could collide with. The low water temperature - now minus five degrees in the Hudson - and a strong current exacerbated the situation. It is not surprising that, upon learning of the successful landing, New York State Governor David Paterson angrily called what happened "a miracle over the Hudson."

However, there is one detail that Americans hardly remember today. About the panic that arose in Manhattan when people saw a liner falling on skyscrapers. About the rumors that appeared in the first hours after the disaster, about a possible "Arab trace" in this incident. However, the authorities reacted quickly, informing the population that the terrorists had nothing to do with this case.

Everything that follows is well known. In anticipation of rescuers, passengers climbed onto the wing of the aircraft. Five people who sought medical attention were taken to hospitals. According to Lorrie, the wife of pilot Sullenberger, he called her when it was all over, and briefly said: "There was an accident. But everything is over."

Mooring from the sky

On August 21, 1963, a Soviet aircraft made the world's first successful splashdown in Leningrad on a flight from Tallinn to Moscow..

Already during takeoff at the Tallinn airport, the commander of the Tu-124, Viktor Mostovoy, discovered that the front landing gear was jammed in a semi-retracted position.

Mostovoy reported on the radio about the problem to dispatchers. However, due to thickening fog, an emergency landing in Tallinn was banned. Mostovoy was offered to land the car on the spare unpaved runway of the Pulkovo airfield in Leningrad, - recalls Vladimir Dmitriev, Honored Pilot of the USSR. - While firefighters and doctors arrived at the place of the alleged landing of an emergency airliner, the plane circled over the city at an altitude of 400 meters, developing a fuel supply of up to one ton. Mostovoy received such an order from Georgy Narbut, the head of flights at Pulkovo Airport. Each lap took 15 minutes.

On the seventh lap, the flight mechanic reported to Mostovoy about the fuel supply, which remains more than necessary according to the instructions. And landing in violation of the rules with a margin of at least 1200-1300 kilograms of fuel threatened the passengers with death. "I'm going for one more lap," the commander of the ship announced on the radio to the ground. He did not suspect that the plane's fuel gauges were faulty. When the airport was 21 kilometers away, the fuel supply was exhausted: the aircraft's left engine stopped.

To shorten the distance to the airfield, the crew decided to fly over the historic center of the city. However, flying over the "headquarters of the revolution" - Smolny, the second engine also failed. Fortunately, the Neva was below, - says Dmitriev. - "Vitya, get on the water," Vasily Chechenov, the co-pilot, a former hydro-pilot, shouted to his comrade.

And then Mostovoy made the only right decision in the current situation: to land the plane on the surface of the water - between the Bolsheokhtinsky and Finland bridges. To avoid panic, the 27-year-old ship's commander ordered the crew members to distract the passengers with conversations. While Mostovoy was planning in a heavy car without fuel over the water surface, the stewards told the passengers about the weather in the city on the Neva.

The plane flew a couple of meters over the Alexander Nevsky bridge - at that time still under construction. Workers standing on complex metal structures then fell into the water in horror, - recalls Nadezhda Stepankova, an eyewitness to the events. - A few tens of meters from the Finland Bridge, the plane plopped into the river.

The passengers were happy. But their joy was premature. When landing, the Tu-124 received a significant hole and almost immediately began to take on water. Only thanks to the actions of Yuri Porshin, the captain of the tug, who hooked the metal cable to the pilots' helm and towed the aircraft to the shore, the plane did not sink to a depth of 13 meters.

It was "moored" to the berth of the Severny Press plant in such a way that one of the wings lay on land, forming a gangway, Stepankova recalls. - Passengers with children were the first to leave, followed by women, men with things and the crew. The aircraft commander was the last to land. He was very calm, but completely gray-haired.

Reward or punish? - such a question arose before the Main Directorate of the Civil air fleet USSR immediately after the accident.

Viktor Mostovoy was expelled from the Tallinn squadron, as they said - for sloppiness. Allegedly, due to his fault, the Tu-124 with passengers on board at first almost collapsed on the historical center of the city, and then almost went to the bottom, - continues Vladimir Dmitriev. - Only after the scandal reached the Central Committee of the CPSU, and the heroism of the pilot became known in the West, Mostovoy was awarded the Order of the Red Star, and his crew members were awarded medals.

DOSSIER "RG"

The most amazing landings

July 17, 1972 Moscow. Aircraft Tu-134 GosNII civil aviation performed test flights from the Sheremetyevo airfield. During the landing approach, two engines failed at the same time. The commander landed the aircraft on the water surface of the canal. Moscow. No harm done.

August 12, 1997. Thessaloniki. The plane "Boeing-727-230" of the Greek airline Olympic Airways performed a local passenger flight from Athens to Thessaloniki. The aircraft was flown by very experienced pilots (both commanders aircraft taken from other flights for this flight). The weather at the destination airport was the most difficult: a thunderstorm, wind gusts near the ground up to 28 knots, heavy clouds, heavy rain. The plane landed with a significant flight: after flying the first third of the runway, it rolled out of the runway. The nose of the plane hung over the coastline mediterranean sea. The aircraft received significant damage. The crew and passengers - 35 people - survived.

November 23, 1996. Comoros. The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-260ER was on an international passenger flight from Addis Ababa bound for Abidjan. Shortly after entering air space Kenya, three terrorists hijacked the plane and demanded to fly to Australia. On approach to Comoros, the aircraft ran out of fuel, the engines stopped. The pilots attempted to make a controlled water landing in closed shallow water 500 meters from Le Galava beach. However, the left engine and wingtip hit the water and the aircraft was destroyed. Of the 175 people on board, 125 were killed.

March 22, 1998. Philippines. Philippine Airlines' newest A320-214 aircraft was operating a domestic passenger flight from Manila Airport to Bacolod Airport. The aircraft took off with the first engine thrust reverser deactivated. The flight went well. But during landing, due to asymmetric thrust, the plane "blew" to the right side of the runway. The plane collided with the airport fence and stopped in a small river. Luckily, none of the 130 people on board were hurt. The plane was not subject to restoration.

, St. Petersburg

Yesterday we "landed on the water"! Ditching is usually one of the most interesting and anticipated parts of flight attendant training. Although I don’t quite understand what my colleagues find exciting in the hasty transformation from a businesswoman with red lipstick to a disheveled one in jeans and T-shirts, the subsequent awkward splashing in the pool in strange life jackets that tightly hug the neck and head, and the reverse transformation into smelly bleach of former business women. Discounts on bathing are not made - if you please, after it, look still fresh and do not forget about lipstick and impeccable styling. My first teaching was three years ago in Dubai - since Qatar does not yet have its own equipment, we specially flew to practice in the Emirates simulator. I remember that it was interesting and fun, but rather hectic - the time was scheduled by the minute, and things had to be packed with them in advance - an hour from the house, forgotten toilet items could not be reached in time. I also remembered that there was very cold water in the pool - of course, not two degrees, but it is deliberately made below room temperature in order to bring the conditions closer to a real landing on water. In this life, I really don’t like any phenomena with the epithet “cold”, so after that I remembered the reading with a kind word a couple of times - in particular, when I caught a slight cold after it. This time I was reluctantly waiting for it and was very glad that it was constantly postponed due to some problems with the pool. One good thing is that we have our own simulator right at the academy, and there was no need to go anywhere. But the day of judgment has finally arrived - and contrary to expectations, it went off with a bang and I sincerely, really, really had fun!

First, we collectively boarded an inflatable raft, which, in case of diving, serves as a slide for normal evacuation. We were taught how to separate it from the aircraft, showed us where the special knife for cutting the cable is located, how to use the anchor and where to find a survival kit with which you can survive a couple of days in the ocean and be discovered by search operations. Then we were forced to build a rubber tent (canopy) over the raft and roll it up again. And finally, the main fun began. We were divided into groups - we had to inflate ourselves life vest, jump into the water (more or less comfortable temperature, thank God) and, having found your group, form a circle out of it, holding each other by the back straps. Then it was necessary to swim up to the raft from the side and climb it on your own - the task is far from being as easy as it seems from the outside, and even this vest sitting literally on your head! One guy from a parallel group, I thought, would turn this raft over to all of us, but he could not climb on it. I was very surprised when I got it right the first time. It was fun and interesting (of course, unlike a real emergency) and we all kindly cheered at the sight of each other in vests and Wikusika, who, for the occasion, donned a surfer costume!

Well, for a gas station, some interesting, philistine facts about landing on water as such. Pilots do diving only in the most forced case, when the plane will not fly any further, and there is nowhere to land on the ground (or, rather, there is simply no land nearby - for example, all the turbines have failed right above the open ocean). The plane is "splashed down", the crew within a few minutes evacuates the passengers to the rafts, inflated from under the doors, disconnects the rafts from the plane and by common efforts tries to sail on them as far as possible. In no case can you stay on the plane - within a few minutes it will inevitably sink and temporarily form a funnel, sucking everything that is nearby under the water ("Titanic" everyone watched, everyone knows). In case the case takes place in the open ocean and it takes time to wait for rescue, the notorious survival kit is attached to the raft. There you can find basic medicines, metal patches for possible ruptures in the boat, a special cleaning pump for turning sea ​​water into drinking water. There are also special food bars (one square provides a supply of calories and energy for the whole day) and all kinds of signaling means to attract the attention of the search expedition: a special marker paints a vast body of water bright green, smoke rockets can be fired in the daytime , and at night special fireworks, a small mirror can send up signal bunnies and glare, and so on. And even during the evacuation, if possible, a transmitter is taken out of the aircraft, which sends SOS to special frequencies for two days. It would seem that everything is provided.

Unfortunately, the reality of this situation is sad. Modern commercial aircraft are not adapted to a possible landing on water (as a person far from engineering, I don’t understand anything about this and sincerely wonder: is it really impossible to come up with something that makes this task easier in the age of progress?). Yes, in Airbuses of the type there is a special button for reading, which is responsible for some kind of valves, but it's all blah blah blah in essence. In fact, in the entire history of aviation, one can count on one hand the cases of successful landing of a commercial aircraft on the water, and this is a happy coincidence of many circumstances in one place. The ideal situation for diving, when there are still theoretical chances, is complete calm and it is desirable that the aircraft splash down with the movement of the water, and not against it. Water is not only the hardest, but also a very heterogeneous surface, and even minimal waves and vibrations when a ship comes into contact with them can break the plane apart. Which is basically what happens in most cases. One internationally recognized aviation luminary created an allegory that was as clear as possible to the inhabitants and compared the effect of landing an airplane on water with the fall of a raw egg on the pavement. I think she speaks for herself. Most of these landings end in mass death even at the moment of impact on the water. Nevertheless, the chances of survival always remain, and here ATTENTION: a lot depends on you. A case in point is Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961. Don't be alarmed, but this is so far the only case of splashdown of a wide-body aircraft where someone survived. The plane was hijacked by the hijackers and the pilots were forced to change course. They did not take into account one thing - halfway to the dream country, the fuel ran out and the plane had to be urgently landed in some coastal waters. So, the pilots managed to put him on the water with almost no casualties, but according to the results, out of 175 people on board, only 50 survived. HOW SO ??? And so that the passengers succumbed to panic and puffed up their vests on the plane. Do you remember the demonstration of the stewards before each flight and how they tell you that this is absolutely impossible to do? Here is the sad lesson. When the doors are opened, water begins to rapidly fill the cabin of the aircraft and an inflated vest under its pressure lifts a person to the very ceiling, from which it will no longer be possible to get out - an unsinkable vest will do its job cleanly. So, having survived the hijacking and landing on the water, most of the passengers signed their own verdict by their own mistake. INFLATE THE VEST ONLY WHEN LEAVING THE PLANE! !! Write it down in your notebook!

In fact, there were so few cases of surviving water landings in the history of commercial aviation that serious discussions began in the 2000s about the abolition of water safety features on passenger aircraft. Well, really, they say, what's the point of spending millions on the installation and maintenance of rafts, special crew training and taking up space with equipment that no one will need anyway in the event of an accident? One dude even defended his doctoral thesis on this issue. There he proved very convincingly how vain and ridiculous these useless security measures are. In international circles, turmoil began and many began to seriously discuss this issue ...

But HERE!!! - a real MIRACLE happened! In 2009, a US Airways commercial airliner was attacked by a bird over densely populated city both turbines instantly failed, and the pilots had no choice but to urgently land the plane right on the city's Hudson River. There were 155 people on board. Thanks to the actions of the crew and the reasonable behavior of the passengers, after the evacuation to the rafts, survived ... there-param .... 155 people!!! Did you see?? Pilots and stewards - medals and lifelong recognition, skeptics and decadent attitudes - a decisive rebuff, and you and I - a lesson and hope! Anything is possible and you should never despair. That is why yesterday we jumped into the water together, made a rubber roof and learned how to climb onto rafts and drag the others there. The pilots will do their job and we will do ours. So you will fly with us - if cho - do not worry, we will save you! (smile and hugs)

The successful implementation of a forced water landing depends mainly on the following factors:

from the state of the sea and the strength of the wind; on the type of aircraft; from the skill of the commander. The behavior of the aircraft at the time of landing may be different depending on the state of the sea. Landing an aircraft parallel to the line of the swell crest, i.e., perpendicular to the direction of its movement, is sometimes almost the same as landing an aircraft on a smooth surface of water. When landing an aircraft perpendicular to the line of the swell crest or when landing on rough seas, the aircraft is subjected to large overloads. By choosing the correct landing approach course according to sea conditions, the commander can to some extent reduce the danger associated with landing an aircraft in rough sea conditions.

The second factor influencing the successful implementation of an emergency landing of an aircraft on water is the type of aircraft. The commander cannot have a direct influence on this factor, but knowing the characteristics of his aircraft and its data, as well as its expected behavior when landing on water, he can take certain measures in order to weaken the effect of its negative qualities and make the most of its positive properties. In advance, you can always find out data about the behavior of a particular type of aircraft when landing on water.

Below are general data that apply to all types of passenger aircraft.

The heavier the aircraft, the better it is adapted for landing on water. Modern passenger aircraft have, as a rule, satisfactory characteristics in terms of their suitability for landing on water. In passenger aircraft, the lower part of the fuselage, which is most often damaged during landing on water, has greater strength.

The protruding parts of the aircraft have a different effect on the damage to the aircraft when landing it on the water. The undercarriage must always be retracted, as otherwise the aircraft will be subjected to sudden surges and g-forces, which can cause wing failure.

When landing on a turbulent water surface against the direction of the swell, significant overloads should be expected. The length of the run in this case depends on whether the plane bounces off the water when it hits a wave or not.

The safest landing of an aircraft in rough seas is to land in a direction parallel to the swell wave line, or, in other words, in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the swell. Landing conditions in this case are closest to landing conditions on a smooth water surface.

Of the three factors influencing the successful execution of a multi-seat emergency landing passenger aircraft on water, namely the state of the sea, the type of aircraft and

the art of Piloting, the latter factor being of the most decisive importance. The further fate of the crew and passengers will largely depend on the ability of the commander and co-pilot to land the aircraft safely on the water.

On most modern aircraft, it is necessary to land on the water at the lowest possible airspeed, provided, however, that this does not cause the aircraft to nose up excessively.

After the first impact on the water of the aircraft, the commander in most cases is almost unable to control the aircraft, since he ceases to obey the rudders.

Landing on a smooth surface of the sea, including in the presence of swell, must be carried out with great care, since in these conditions it is very difficult to determine the height above the water, as a result of which the pilot can very easily make mistakes. Therefore, if possible, the pilot should first pass at a low altitude over the intended landing site, dropping some small objects into the sea, by which he can determine the height and land on the second run.

Scale for determining the wind speed according to the state of the sea surface during wind waves.

ASSESSMENT OF THE SUITABILITY OF CLOSED WATER SPACES FOR LANDING. FORCED LANDING ON THE RIVER

The most convenient for forced landing on water are closed water basins, such as lakes, rivers, harbors, bays, or bodies of water surrounded by several islands.

If conditions permit, it is necessary to fly over the intended landing site to make sure that there are no obstacles on the surface of the water:

• pitfalls; boats, rafts;
• buoys, piles or any other items that could damage the aircraft.

After the pilot is satisfied that there are no obstacles on the surface of the water for landing, he must choose a course for the approach, taking into account the actual state of the water surface and the direction of the wind.

The area of ​​water chosen for landing must be at least 1.5 km long and 90 m wide.

The approach direction should be chosen taking into account the direction of the wind, the direction of the river flow and its depth. If the current of the river is not very strong, and the wind direction does not coincide with the most favorable approach direction, then the landing should be made into the wind. If the direction of the river flow and the direction of the wind are the same, then the landing should be made against the wind and against the current.

If the direction of the current and the direction of the wind are opposite, then you should land against the wind. -

The general rule for landing on the surface of a river is the following: if the wind is strong enough, the weak current of the river should be ignored and the landing should be carried out into the wind. The landing should be calculated so that at the end of the water run you will be close to the shore, at the pier or aground.

In order to determine the magnitude and direction of movement of the main, largest swell at sea from the air, it is necessary to fly at an altitude of about 600 m (from a low altitude, the main swell is not always visible). The direction of movement of weaker systems of swell and wind waves is determined from the height of low-level flight. ^

The vast majority of ocean waves are 3-4 m high, and waves 7-8 m high are rare. Due to interference, or superposition of waves, waves following one another can differ dramatically in height. This can be clearly seen by watching the waves crashing on the shore. Three or four large waves are usually followed by a series of relatively small waves, after which again come big waves etc. Thus, even in the case of a very rough sea, there are always relatively calmer places on its surface, which is very important for the commander and co-pilot to know in case of a forced landing.

If it is necessary to land at sea with complex waves, i.e., in the presence of several different swell systems, then for landing, a heading should be chosen such that the aircraft is not moving directly into any of the swell systems and that the headwind is used to the maximum.

When choosing a landing course, it is also necessary to take into account the location of the entrance doors and emergency hatches on the aircraft. When placing doors on one side of the aircraft fuselage (Tu-104, Tu-124, Il-18, etc.), landing parallel to the swell crest should be done in such a way that the swell wave (or wind wave) runs onto the starboard side.

In this case, to evacuate passengers and crew members to inflatable life rafts, you can use the front doors emergency hatches left side.

For Tu-114, Il-62, Tu-154, Tu-134, etc. aircraft, having exits on both sides of the fuselage, when landing on the water parallel to the swell crest, it does not really matter which side of the fuselage the swell wave or wind wave, but after landing on the water, the pilot must assess the position of the aircraft on the water and the possibility of opening doors and hatches so that water cannot enter the aircraft.

TECHNIQUE AND PROCEDURE FOR FORCED LANDING ON WATER AND USE OF LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES

The forced landing of a passenger land aircraft on a rough sea surface must be carried out in such a way that at the moment of touching the water the nose of the aircraft is raised. To do this, you need to make a normal landing approach with retracted flaps and landing gear. Engines should run at low speeds. At a height of about 1.5-2 m above the water, level the aircraft and, keeping its nose slightly raised, continue to fly to the intended landing site at a speed exceeding the critical one by 15-20 km/h.

Having reached the selected landing site, you should slightly reduce the gas and lift the nose of the aircraft so as not to completely lose speed. Although the nose of the aircraft must be held up at the time of landing

position, during the run it should be lowered, since with a lowered nose the aircraft will stop faster, because the surface of the aircraft in contact with water will increase; the aircraft will break away from the wave at a lower angle of attack, as a result of which it will gain less height. To keep the nose of the aircraft in the desired position during the run, the pilot must quickly respond to any change in the position of the aircraft, operating the elevator.

The length of an aircraft's run during landing is directly dependent on the weight of the aircraft and its speed, or, in other words, on its stock of kinetic energy at the time of landing.

When landing on water at night at an altitude of 100-150 m, it is necessary to turn on the headlights and focus all attention on determining the height of the aircraft's leveling before splashdown, preventing it from hitting the water or losing speed. It is not recommended to turn on the headlights in fog and clouds.

On a moonlit night, you should land in the direction of the moon. It has been established that the assessment of the state of the sea, made by observations during full moon, is approximately correct. However, under these conditions, the sea is clearly visible only in one specific direction, and the sea seems calmer than it really is. stripes.

Launching and boarding inflatable life rafts

As soon as the aircraft finally stops on the water after landing, the ship's commander must:

• assess the position of the aircraft on the water and the possibility of opening the side doors and emergency hatches so that water cannot enter the aircraft;
• give the command to open doors and emergency hatches;
• give the command to launch the rafts;
• prevent the accumulation of passengers in one place in order to avoid dangerous trims on the nose or tail of the aircraft;
• organize a quick disembarkation of passengers with previously put on life jackets;
• be the last to leave the aircraft, take up residence on a rescue helot with an emergency radio station and lead the rescue of passengers;
• instruct to withdraw the rafts from the aircraft by 50-100 m.

On most modern passenger aircraft, the fastenings of the rafts inside the aircraft are released manually and the rafts are brought to those doors and hatches that lie above the sea water level and which are most expedient to open in a particular situation and then launch the rafts into the water without flooding the aircraft with sea water.

Notes. 1. The water level beyond the Aircraft Grade must be determined at those doors and hatches, without opening them, that have porthole windows, and choose doors and hatches, the lower edge of which lies above the level of the outboard ox or the upper crest of the wave.

Notes 2. In heavy seas and storms, it is necessary to open mainly emergency hatches above the wing from a safer lee side. In a storm with a large wave, emergency hatches in the upper part of the fuselage of the aircraft can be used to leave (on those aircraft where such hatches are available). In this case, it is necessary to take into account the great difficulty of exiting and boarding rafts through these hatches.

Having received the command to launch the rafts into the water, crew members and flight attendants, provided for in a pre-arranged schedule, or plan, for emergency evacuation on the water, open the appropriate doors and hatches based on the situation and, having previously attached to a special bracket at the door or hatch the end of the starting painter (rope) laid in a special pocket of the raft package, the raft is dropped into the water.

Notes. 1. Rafts that are not attached to the aircraft and dropped into the water can be carried hundreds of meters away from the aircraft by wind and current, and people will not be able to swim to the rafts and use them for water rescue.

Notes 2. If the raft is not (for whatever reason) attached to the shackle at the door or hatch, the end of the launching painter should be held firmly in the hands of the crew member (flight attendant) supervising the boarding of the rafts at the exit, or a physically strong passenger who is attracted by the crew. to help with the evacuation.

After the package with the raft is dropped into the water and floats, it remains to open the package and inflate the raft. For this purpose, a starting painter is used, connected to the exhaust cable of the package and the starting device of the gas cylinder fixed on the raft.

The length of the starting painter of the raft is always several times higher than the height of the lower edge of the door (hatch) from the water level, and therefore it is necessary to first select the slack of the painter. When the slack is taken up and the painter is pulled tight, you need to sharply pull the painter several times. After several jerks, opening the package and triggering the launcher, carbon dioxide from the cylinder begins to flow into the inflatable chambers of the raft and the raft inflates in a few tens of seconds. As soon as the inflatable arches (or the central post) supporting the awning rise, the raft is ready to receive those who are escaping.

The painter is firmly connected to the raft and will keep it near the aircraft until the rescuers land and cut the painter. The tensile strength of the painter (40-4-60 kG) is calculated in such a way that if people do not have time to cut the painter and the sinking plane starts to drag the raft along, the painter will break. A raft with a full number of people will stay afloat. However, it is better to avoid such a situation and one should strive to move away from the aircraft before it is flooded, so as not to fall into the funnel formed when the aircraft is immersed in water.

Note. In the event of an aircraft emergency landing on land in a desert, taiga, arctic, sparsely populated area at any time of the year, inflatable rafts can be used on land to protect people from rain, sun, wind and cold until approach rescue teams. In this case, an emergency supply of food and equipment intended for inflatable rafts must be used in relation to a particular situation.

In an inflatable raft, afloat and held by a painter at the exit or hatch above the wing, rescuers can get directly from the aircraft through an open door or hatch, as well as from the wing, to which people go through the side emergency hatches in the passenger cabin. If this “dry” method cannot be applied in the current situation, you should jump into the water feet down with an inflated vest, swim up to the raft and climb into it along an inflatable or soft tape ladder through one of the two inlets in the raft tent. It should be borne in mind that people in dry clothes have greater resilience in the conditions of staying on inflatable life rafts. Therefore, it is necessary, if possible, to avoid getting wet clothes when boarding rafts of passengers and crew members.

In some cases (when there is little time) you will have to inflate the rafts by jumping into the water. When deploying and inflating life rafts, special attention must be paid to ensure that the rafts and escaping people do not hit the sharp edges of the fuselage and other parts of the aircraft.

When helping the wounded to leave the plane, you should always take their life-saving equipment (jacket) from the plane.

When landing on rafts from the wing of an aircraft, it must be remembered that it is extremely difficult to stay on the wing when the sea is rough (it can be washed away by a wave). Therefore, it is necessary to use a lifeline attached to the hatch above the wing to keep people on the wing until deployed. inflatable raft at the edge of the wing.

When filling the first and subsequent rafts with passengers, if the rafts descend from one exit (hatch) one after another, the painter of the first raft is disconnected from the aircraft and attached to the second raft.

Then the first raft is pushed off from the exit (hatch) of the aircraft, in order not to interfere with the landing of people in the second, third, etc. rafts.

At the end of the landing, all rafts, successively fastened together by painters 8-10 m long, are retracted from the aircraft by 50-100 At, so as not to fall into the funnel from the sinking aircraft. To do this, people on the last raft, which is attached to the exit (hatch) with a mooring painter, after the crew commander sits on the raft, who has checked that all the people have left the plane, give up the mooring painter and the rafts move away from the aircraft under the influence of wind, waves, currents.

The commander takes over the overall management of the rafts, making sure that all people are picked up from the water, all rafts are interconnected by 8-10 m long painters and all the necessary equipment is on the rafts. I AM

If possible, the crew leader should go to the raft, where there is a radio operator with an emergency radio station.

If the aircraft continues to float on the surface of the water, then the rafts should remain near the aircraft at a distance of 50-100 m so that rescue ships, aircraft and helicopters can detect them faster.

The management of a life raft filled with passengers is carried out by the senior member of the crew, who is on the raft. If there is not a single crew member (flight attendant) on the raft, then the passengers choose the eldest from their midst.

In order to approach another life raft, it is necessary to throw the floating anchor of the raft for the entire length of the painter (rope) towards the other raft and then pull your raft by the painter in the direction of the thrown floating anchor. If the distance between the rafts is significant, the floating anchor will have to be cast repeatedly. If the raft has two anchors, it is better to use both floating anchors (from the same entrance) to bring the rafts together. After approaching, it is necessary to connect the rafts with painters (ropes) laid on the bottom of the raft.

The distance between the connected rafts should be at least 8-10 m, and if the sea is restless - 10-12 m. approaching search and rescue aircraft, ships, etc.

To eliminate gas leakage from a damaged buoyancy chamber of a raft, a metal plug should be used for a large gap, and a rubber plug for a small puncture. Using a plug, push the bottom plate of the plug through the gap in the raft chamber, cover it with the top plate, tighten the wing nut and break the wire holding the nut to the plates.

Using a rubber plug, you need to screw it into the hole (puncture, small tear), then, as soon as possible, prepare a patch from the package with raft repair equipment to replace the plugs and plugs.

It is necessary to close the entrance curtains of the raft when all the rescued people are placed on the raft. Keep the raft curtains closed in cold or damp weather. A brief instruction with explanatory drawings is placed "on the inner surface of the tent of the raft. The text is approximately as follows:

Immediate action in cold weather.

• a) untie the strings (strings) that tighten the entrance curtains into bundles;
• b) raise the entrance curtains by pulling down the cords. After that, fasten the curtains with loops on the toggles (oblong buttons);
• c) from time to time, in order to avoid poisoning with carbon dioxide exhaled by people, ventilate the under-tent space by slightly opening the entrance curtains;
• d) inflate the bottom of the raft. The pump or bellows for inflating the bottom is stored in the package with the raft repair equipment. In order to inflate the bottom with a pump, it is necessary to attach a hose to the pump hole farthest from the handle.

November 22, 1968 passenger aircraft DC-8 of Japan Airlines (Japan Airlines), registration number JA8032, call sign Shiga, PIC - Kohei Aso, flying from Tokyo to San Francisco, made an emergency landing in low cloud cover, splashing down half a kilometer from the American coast. None of the 96 passengers and 11 crew members were injured during the accident.

July 17, 1972 Tu-134 aircraft, board USSR-65607 of the Ministry of Aviation Industry, performed a test flight. FAC - Vyacheslav Kuzmenko. During the flight in the holding area, the fuel pumps of both engines turned off. The engines have stopped. The relatively low altitude and the expended battery power did not allow them to be launched in flight. The plane made a splashdown on the water area of ​​the Ikshinskoye reservoir, near the village of Bolshaya Chernaya. As a result of splashdown, the plane did not collapse and none of the 5 crew members was seriously injured.

June 2, 1976, during the day, in simple weather conditions, when landing at the Zhuliany airport, the Yak-40 aircraft, tail number USSR-87541 of the Lithuanian Civil Aviation Administration, performing the flight Kaunas - Kyiv, made an emergency landing outside the airfield. KVS - Shtilyus V.S. At an altitude of 700 meters, having received an instruction from the dispatcher to take a height of 400 meters, the commander of the ship gave the command to the flight mechanic Sinkevicius to set the engines to idle and began to descend. At this time there was a simultaneous stop of three engines. An attempt by the crew to start the engines in flight failed. The crew decided to land on the water of the Dnieper. But the plane did not reach the river. The commander of the aircraft made an emergency landing with retracted landing gear in the swampy shallow water in the area of ​​Osokorki, which is now a residential area of ​​Kyiv, and then was a wasteland. The aircraft received minor damage. The crew and passengers were not injured.

August 8, 1988 An-12 military transport aircraft (535th OSAP, Rostov-on-Don) carried out the task of transporting personnel from the Bataysk airfield to the Yeysk airfield after the party meeting in Bataysk. In flight, the flight engineer switched off the fuel supply from the floor tanks, which were filled for a long time and were not used. The kerosene in them settled and contained water. On the pre-landing straight, 3-4 kilometers from the runway, all four engines died out one by one. The crew tried to make an emergency landing in the estuary Sea of ​​Azov in shallow water. The plane's landing gear hit the water and pecked with its nose. Upon impact with the water and the bottom, the fuselage split and partially sank into the water. The cargo hold, where most of the passengers were, was filled with water mixed with kerosene. It was a laboratory aircraft, not suitable for transporting people. Inside the cabin there was equipment that blew off on impact, which became the main cause of death. 24 people died in this plane crash.

November 23, 1996 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 Boeing 767 flew from Addis Ababa to Abidjan, with stops in Nairobi, Brazzaville and Lagos. Shortly after entering Kenyan airspace, three terrorists hijacked the plane and demanded that it head for Australia. On approach to the Comoros, the plane ran out of fuel, and the crew tried to land on the water in a shallow, quiet coast 500 meters from Le Galava beach. The plane caught the water with its left wing, rolled over and collapsed right in the water. Of the 175 people on board, 125 were killed, including the terrorists.

January 15, 2009 US Airways Airbus A320 flight 1549 from New York to Seattle with an intermediate stop in Charlotte (North Carolina), FAC - Chesley Sullenberger, with 150 passengers on board, made an emergency landing on the water of the Hudson River in New York. Both engines failed during takeoff. All on board survived. Five people were seriously injured (the flight attendant suffered the most) and seventy-eight were minor.

Recently, a new film "Miracle on the Hudson" was released, in which Tom Hanks played the main role. The film was very popular with the audience, and critics showered it with positive reviews. The reason for the success, most likely, lies in the fact that the film is based on real events. It tells the story of a passenger plane that, on January 15, 2009, made an emergency landing right on the water of the Hudson River in New York. Thanks to the professionalism of the pilots, the lives of 155 people were saved. Next, you will find a story about how you managed to make this dangerous landing.

Flight AWE 1549 (callsign Cactus 1549) was Airbus airliner US Airways A320-214 on the New York-North Carolina-Seattle route. On board were 150 passengers and 5 crew members.

The aircraft was released in 1999 (the first flight was made on June 15, 1999). On the day of the incident, it made 16299 takeoff and landing cycles and flew 25241 hours.

The aircraft was flown by a very experienced crew.

The pilot of the aircraft was 57-year-old Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger. Former military pilot who flew the F-4 Phantom II from March 1973 to July 1980.

After retiring, he continued his flying service as a pilot in civil airlines. Chesley B. Sullenberger was an aviation safety expert and a certified glider pilot. He flew 19663 hours, 4765 of them on the Airbus A320.

The co-pilot was 49-year-old Jeffrey B. Skiles. Worked for US Airways for 23 years. He flew 15643 hours.

But on the Airbus A320 it was only his second flight.

Three flight attendants worked in the cabin of the aircraft: Sheila Dale, Doreen Welsh, Donna, all of them have more than 30 years of experience.

Flight AWE 1549 took off from New York at 15:24 local time. 90 seconds after takeoff, the pilot reported the bird strike to controllers, which caused two engines to fail.

Passengers later recalled that they felt a strong blow, some saw that something gray flashed near the plane and crashed into the engine. Others saw the fire.

The plane managed to gain altitude of 3200 feet (975 meters). The PIC gave a distress signal and informed the dispatcher about the collision of the aircraft with a flock of birds, as a result of which both engines were disabled.

For flight 1549, the runway at La Guardia Airport, which is 11 kilometers away, is cleared. But the pilots understand that they will not make it to the airport. You can try to land at the Teterboro airport in New Jersey, but it is also almost 10 kilometers away.

Forced water landings usually end in disaster. In 1996, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 overturned during a splashdown in Indian Ocean after failed attempt emergency landing.

125 people out of 175 on board were killed.

New Yorkers report seeing a plane flying low over the city. The ship's commander has no time to inform the passengers. But they understand that the plane is falling.

A splashdown is the last chance for Flight 1549. But a 180-meter-high obstacle appears in the way of the plane - the George Washington Bridge.

The plane flies up to the bridge from the east at an altitude of only 450 meters. He flies some 100 meters above him. After that, the crew commander makes a U-turn and begins to level the plane over the Hudson.

At an altitude of 150 meters, the crew commander makes a message: "The ship's commander is speaking. Get ready to strike."

The blow was very strong. The plane seemed to jump, then slowed down and screeched. But the passengers rejoiced that they managed to avoid death. No one yet suspected that a crack had formed in the tail of the aircraft as a result of the impact.

Airbuses are equipped with a system that, in the event of a splashdown, closes all openings so that the aircraft does not take on water. To activate the system, one of the pilots must press a button above his head. However, none of the pilots of Flight 1549 managed to do this.

The crack in the tail section is growing. Salons fill up quickly with water. No one knows yet that in just 24 minutes he will be under water. All people remaining on the plane can drown in the icy waters of the Hudson.

A minute after splashdown, information about the incident is passed on to the captains of the ferries plying the Hudson. Vincent Lombardi's Thomas Jefferson ferry is closest to the sinking airliner.

It takes the ferry 4 minutes to get to the plane. Not all passengers will be able to hold out for so long: the water temperature is only 2 degrees above zero.

Several passengers of the plane find themselves right in the cold water. There is a critical situation in the tail of the plane. The water is coming fast. Both emergency exit already under water, you can not open the doors.

After 3 minutes and 40 seconds after splashdown, the first ferry arrives at the plane. Ferry passengers help bring the ship as close as possible to one of the plane's wings, which is constantly blown away by strong currents.

When the second ferry arrives, another problem arises. Ferries are not designed to participate in rescue operations, their decks rise above the water by more than 2 meters. Passengers cannot climb them themselves; ferry crews lower nets and rope ladders overboard.

When police divers arrive at the splashdown site, rescue operation is in full swing.

7 ships, including a US Coast Guard ship, are hoisting people on board from aircraft wings and from life rafts. However, many passengers are still in the freezing water.

Scuba divers continue to search for victims. It has been 12 minutes since the start of the operation to rescue the passengers of Flight 1549. Lifeguards have very little time to get everyone out of the water. The plane is sinking. And there may still be people in it.

At 1555 hours, 25 minutes after the emergency splashdown, half of the aircraft is already under water. A raft carrying Chesley Sullenberger is pulled up to the ferry Athena. The commander of the airbus crew was the last to board the ferry and said that everyone had got out.

Passengers, still in a state of shock, are taken to the port.

78 people received medical care as a result of minor injuries and hypothermia.

As a result of landing, rescue and towing operations, the airframe of the aircraft received significant damage.

Organic remains and a bird feather were found in the right engine.

The left engine separated during splashdown and sank, but on January 23 it was raised from the bottom of the river and sent for examination.

After the evacuation of passengers, the aircraft was towed to the pier near the World financial center.

where it was raised.

After the investigation was completed, the aircraft was purchased by the Carolinas Air Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At first the plane stood without engines. The aircraft was fully presented by the fall of 2012.

The crash investigation confirmed that both engines stopped after the aircraft collided with a flock of birds. If not for the highest professionalism of Airbus commander Chesley Sullenberger, the fate of the passengers of Flight 1549 could have turned out completely differently.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg thanked the pilot for not abandoning the plane until he was sure all passengers had been evacuated.

Survivors received monetary compensation and became the heroes of numerous TV shows and interviews.

Also, passengers and crew regularly gather to celebrate the anniversaries of their miraculous rescue.

Later, on a form usually given to passengers for writing flight reviews, one of the survivors wrote "We are very lucky", expressing the collective opinion of the survivors.