Plane crashes seems to fascinate people, and the fascination more than likely comes from the fact that the majority of them result in the deaths of hundreds of people. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I heard of a crash of a major commercial jetliner that didn’t result in mass casualties…until today. Amazingly, after ditching into the Hudson River this afternoon, U.S. Airways flight 1549 can boast zero casualties of passengers and crew:

“It was intense. It was intense. You’ve got to give it to the pilot. He made a hell of a landing,” Kolodjay said.

The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows when rescuers in Coast Guard vessels and ferry boats arrived, opened the door and pulled passengers in yellow life vests from the aircraft, whose fuselage appeared intact. The plane was sinking in the near-freezing water on one of the coldest days of the year, with the mercury around 20 degrees.

All of the crew and passengers were saved, and images of the downed jetliner look just like a boat with passengers disembarking como si nada. Pretty amazing.

The reason for the ditching (or crash, as most media is calling it)? Two birds stuck in the plane’s engine caused an explosion. Flight 1549 had left New York’s La Guardia airport and was bound for Charlotte, North Carolina.

Via / SFGate.com

Image via 20 Minutos, photographer Gary Hershorn / REUTERS