The Federal Aviation Authority released transcripts of communications for Flight 1549 yesterday. This is a supplementary transcript produced by a device that uses the latest technology to record the thoughts of the parties involved.
3:27:32 New York Tracon: I am so bored. Yawn. When is Mark coming back with my coffee and donut? Mmmm. Donuts. "Cactus 1549, turn left heading 2-7-0."
3:27:36 Flight 1549: I am so glad we just have one more leg before I can get back home. I need to return my library book by Friday. What was that? Hey did you feel that? Was that a bunch of birds? What? Both of our engines are out?!!!. OK. Deep breath. "Ah, this, uh, Cactus 1539. Hit birds, we lost thrust in both engines. We're turning back towards LaGuardia."
3:27:42 New York Tracon: WTF??? Did he just say BOTH engines? How the hell is he going to turn around? "OK, yeah, you need to return to Laguardia. Turn left heading of uh, 2-2-0."
3:27:46 Flight 1549: Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. "2-2-0."
3:27:49 New York Tracon: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Must not panic. "Tower, stop your departures. We got an emergency returning."
3:27:53 New York's LaGuardia airport: Emergency? Come on, my shift is almost over! "Who is it?"
3:27:54 New York Tracon: Dude, does it f***in matter "who it is?" "It's 1529, he ah, bird strike. He lost all engines. He lost the thrust in the engines. He is returning
3:27:59 LaGuardia: All engines, yeah right.... "Cactus 1529, which engine?"
3:28:01 New York Tracon: Hey dumbass, quit asking questions and get the runway clear! "He lost thrust in both engines, he said."
3:28:03 LaGuardia: Holy shit! "Got it."
3:28:11 Flight 1549: Hellooooo....We have NO ENGINES. "We're unable. We may end up in the Hudson."
3:28:17 New York Tracon: Oh, here is a little plane. Almost missed it! "Jet Link 2760, turn left 0-7-0."
3:28:19 Jet Link 2760: "Left turn, 0-7-0 Jet Link 2760."
3:28:31 New York Tracon: OK. Where was I? "All right cactus 1549. It's going to be a left. Traffic to runway 3-1."
3:28:34 Flight 1549: I'm sorry. Did I mention I have NO ENGINES!!! "Unable."
3:28:36 New York Tracon: Hey. I am trying to help you here. Put a little bit of effort into this! "OK, what do you need to land?"
3:28:46 New York Tracon: Picky, picky, picky. "Cactus 1549, runway four is available if you want to make left traffic to runway four."
3:28:50 Flight 1549: I do not like his tone of voice. Note to self. If we survive this, file complaint. "I am not sure if we can make any runway. Oh, what's that over to our right? Anything in New Jersey, maybe Teterboro?"
3:28:55 New York Tracon: Whew! Let this happen at somebody else's airport. "OK yeah, off to your right is Teterboro airport."
3:29:02 New York Tracon: Please go to Teterboro. Please go to Teterboro. Please go to Teterboro. "Do you want to try and go to Teterboro?"
3:29:03 Flight 1549: Duh. Why is he even asking me these questios? Take some initiative, man."Yes."
3:29:05 New York Tracon: Pick up! Pick up! "Teterboro, uh, Empire actually. LaGuardia departure got an emergency inbound.
3:29:10 Teterboro airport: I am so bored. Yawn. When is Jim coming back with my coffee and donut? Mmmm. Donuts. "Okay, go ahead."
3:29:11 New York Tracon: I should have stayed home today. This job is really getting to me. "Cactus 1529, Over the George Washington bridge want to go to the airport right now."
3:29:14 Teterboro: Emergency? Come on, my shift is almost over! "He wants to go to our airport check. Does he need any assistance?"
3:29:17 New York Tracon: Assistance? What do you think? No engines? Emergency inbound? Uh, assistance might be nice. "Ah, yes, he, ah, was a bird strike. Can I get him in for runway one?"
3:29:19 Teterboro: Where is my manual? Where is my manual? "Runway one, that's good."
3:29:21 New York Tracon: Why did I EVER want to be an air traffic controller? I should have listened to Mother when she said I should be an accountant. "Cactus 1529, turn right 2-8-0, you can land runway one at Teterboro."
3:29:25 Flight 1549: That river is looking pretty flat and wide. "We can't do it."
3:29:26 New York Tracon: Jeez! What is with this guy? You don't want LaGuardia. Now Teterboro Runway One won't work. "OK, which runway would you like at Teterboro?"
3:29:28 Flight 1549: WE'RE GONNA BE IN THE HUDSON!!!!! "We're gonna be in the Hudson."
3:29:33 New York Tracon: WTF? "I'm sorry, say again, Cactus."
3:29:41 New York Tracon: Oops. Little plane again. "Jetlink, 2760, contact New York. O-2-6 point 8.
3:29:45 Jet Link 2760: "20-6-8 Jet Link 2760."
3:29:51 New York Tracon: Shit! Where did he go? Where is the blip on my green screen??? I look away for one minute.. "Cactus, ah, Cactus 1549, radar contact is lost. You also got Newark airport off your two o'clock and about 7 miles."
3:30:06 New York Tracon: I told that dumbass to stop all departures. Eagle flight 4718, turn left heading 2-1-0.
3:30:09 Eagle Flight 4718: "2-1-0, um, 4718. I don't know, I think he said he was going in the Hudson."
3:30:14 New York Tracon: Oh shit. Where did he go. Answer. Answer. Answer. "Cactus 1529, uh, you still on?"
3:30:22 New York Tracon: He is there. He is just messing with me. "Cactus 1529, if you can, ah, you got, ah, runway 2-9 available at Newark off your two o'clock and 7 miles."
3:30:32 New York Tracon: ANOTHER plane. I am trying to focus here people!!! "Eagle flight 4718, climb and maintain one two thousand."
3:30:34 Eagle flight 4718 "OK, 1-2 thousand and, ah, leaving 5 and 280 heading."
3:30:41 New York Tracon: Quit distracting me!!! "And Eagle flight 4718, I"m sorry, I missed that, say again."
3:30:45 Eagle Flight 4718: "And uh, we're up to 12,000, uh, 280 on the heading."
3:30:48 New York Tracon: Must maintain composure. "OK, thank you Eagle flight 4718, Turn left. 2-2-0."
3:30:51 Eagle Flight 4718 "2-2-0 4718."
3:31:30 Unknown: "Was that cactus up by the Tappan Zee?"
3:31:32 New York Tracon: God, I need a drink. "Uh, yeah, it was a cactus. He was just north of the, ah, George Washington Bridge when they had the bird strike."
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I listened to the audio of this transcript last night and was absolutely riveted. The calm, professionalism of all parties involved gave me a much deeper appreciation of the level of training they must receive to be able to respond the way they do. Captain Sullenberger will truly be remembered as one of the greatest pilots in aviation history.
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Comments
I was amazed and impressed at his flat calm on the tape. You could hear that the controllers were rattled because of the repetition of some of their transmissions, although being very professional, but the pilot was so completely focused. Very impressive.
Interestingly, I don't think he'd make that claim. He was very well-trained (as any commercial airline pilot is), and he also had an element of luck.
Stella: I put a link to the video- it says "This video may be rebroadcast by any news agency or media outlet without permission or compensation." I hope that is true!
Bob: I agree that he would not make that claim. He seems to be a very humble man. That is why I am making it!
Rated
I'm with Patrick Smith. These guys (there were 2 pilots) did what they were trained. to do. FLY THE PLANE.
They didn't panic. They didn't freak out. They calmly evaluated their situation and decided what they were capable of doing and the conditions were perfect as they could have been to pull this off.
If 'they' are to be heroes, it's for keeping their cool...
I've taken both ground school and pilot training and you are trained to 'fly the plane' above all else. They were lucky that the atmospheric conditions were absolutely perfect for this and for having the balls and foresight to realize that they had to land in a way that took the least amount of souls, if it came down to that.
I am amazed that the Airbus 320 survived so much intact and that everyone survived.
If this had happened in Denver or Dallas, it would have worked out far worse...
We had, in ground school, a guy that said that the conversations sounded 'too stuffy' and 'hard to understand' and that people should talk in 'normal language'. He gave an example. At the time it was hilarious but the prof set him straight...
I edited the video together and yes it is 'free' to use by anyone.
BTW nice job on the 'camp' transcript.
~Ric~
A while back, someone wrote a macabre book about "last words" and found that the most common was:
"O shit..."
Really, this is so creative.
I've had incidents flying and remember my first missed approach in a commercial plane. I even was in a plane that started the takeoff roll and the cabin started filling with smoke and we did a quick swerve off the runway and stop. Seeing crash rescue swarming around a plane is spooky but it takes on a whole different dimension when it's your plane and you're wondering what's going on... Yeah hah...
One famous story referenced in 'fly the plane' stories is the one of the foreign plane (I think it was foreign) waiting to land in Miami and a light didn't go on so the pilot who thought that he turned on the auto-pilot spent a lot of time playing with the burned out bulb as the plane slowly spiraled to the ground as they did circles beyond the airports airspace. When the ground proximity warning sounded, it was too late... All of it caught on the CVR.
rated
Gonzoid: Thanks for sharing your own first hand experiences.
Mister Comedy: It is pretty incredible how people remain so calm in the face of such exciting events.
Tom: So true.
Judy: How frightening! That experience must give you a very different perspective when these stories are in the news.
UK: I bet you have some interesting stories from those days.
Couldn't help but think the proper subtitle would be: "What Normal People Would Be Thinking If They Tried to Be Pilots or Air Traffic Controllers"
That's an interesting comment.
In ground school we were taught that you always have the option to tell the controller 'no'. You note that he said 'unable' in the tape several times. That's a key word. You, as the pilot, are there in the cockpit 'flying the plane'. The controller is there to 'assist' you and help keep you and the others flying in the area 'safe'. They provide 'services' for the pilot. You never 'argue with a controller'. But yes, too many accidents HAVE occurred when pilots have followed a controllers bad advice but they aren't in the plane and they don't know what you are comfortable with doing and yes, they might give you questionable advice or cut things too close.
You always have the right to say 'unable' but you use it rarely.
Say a controller wants to expedite your landing behind a 767. You don't feel comfortable being subjected to the possible wake turbulence following that big of a plane. You can say 'no'. You can elect to 'go around' again. Of they want you to come in faster than you feel comfortable doing... I myself elected to go around rather than land between two commercial planes once. I would have come in sandwiched between them and just didn't want the stress. I circled around and came in at a much more leisurely pace I was comfortable with but have had to clear the runway immediately after landing because I was being followed by a commercial plane.
Some rather interesting issues involve what are called 'land and hold short operations' (LAHSO) at airports. That's so that the airport can handle arriving and departing planes at intersecting runways. It's potentially unsafe at many airports and the pilot union objected to the practice by encouraging their members to declare 'unable' or 'unwilling' when instructed by controllers to do that. It means a very quick stop and the possibility for a 'runway incursion' and possible accident. There have been a number of close calls at Canadian airports. Some flights were denied landing on their final and instructed to circle until the controller could 'fit them in' after they declared the inability to LAHS.
The verbiage is very precise. The keywords are used for specific incidents. It's all part of the training...
Yes, confusion does happen. One example is of the flight from Mexico that ran out of fuel and they pilots didn't declare an emergency. The conversation in the cockpit prior to the crash was of whether the controller knew they had no fuel. They did not declare a 'fuel emergency'. They just kept saying things about running low. Another is a flight in China as I believe where the flight crew, who spoke primarily Chinese, couldn't figure out what the plane's systems were saying, in English. They performed what is termed 'controlled flight into terrain'. As I remember it was the ground proximity alarm repeatedly warning them they were about to hit the ground...
I hate being the last poster on a thread.
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