Passengers saved after plane ditches in New York's Hudson River

All155 passengers and crew memberswere rescued Thursday from aplane that went down in the Hudson River near Manhattan after bird strikes apparently disabled both engines, the U.S.Federal Aviation Administration says.

Ferries, water taxisand a helicopter rushed to help passengers and crewon the Airbus 320afterit ditched at about 3:30 p.m. ET.

"Our preliminary report is that everyone is off the plane and accounted for," said Doug Parker, US Airways CEO.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters that police divers had to rescue some passengers from underwater, adding several passengers were taken to hospital and are in stable condition.

"We do not believe that there are serious injuries," Bloomberg said.

Fire officials said at least half the people on board were sent to hospitals with hypothermia, bruises and other minor injuries. Paramedic Helen Rodriguez said the worst injury she saw was a woman with two broken legs.

Bloomberg said he had a long conversation with the pilot, whotoldhimhe walked the length of the plane twice after the crashand was last one up the aisle to make sure no one was behind him.

"It would appear that the pilot did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river, and then making sure everybody got out," he said.

One passenger earlier told reporters a woman's leg was severed in the crash.

'Double bird strike' reported

Television footage showed some passengers standing on the aircraft's wings awaiting rescue while the plane floated in the frigid waters. Others were pulled from the plane as it filled with water.

US Airways Flight 1549departed fromNew York Cityand was headed toCharlotte, N.C.

FAAspokeswoman Laura Brown said the flight had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport when the crash happened in the riveradjacent to48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

Doug Church, spokesman forthe National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the pilotreported a "double bird strike" about 30 to 45seconds after a normal takeoffand was headed for an emergency landing in New Jersey when he ditched the plane in the river.

The FAA's Brown said the plane appeared to have hit one or more birds, but the US AirwaysCEO refused to speculate on the cause of the crash.

"It's premature to speculate about the cause of this accident. We would ask that you also resist the temptation to speculate," Parker said.

He said the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent U.S. government agency,will be investigating the crash.

The plane sank slowly as it drifted downriver. Gradually, the fuselage went under until about half of the tail fin and rudder was above water. A Fire Department boat tugged the plane to the southern tip of Manhattan and docked it there.

'Big white splash'

Oneof thesurvivors, Jeff Kolodjay, told reporters it was a "hell of a landing" but commended the pilot for a job well done.

Kolodjaydescribed the escape as initially chaotic, but then passengers began scrambling out the door on to the wing in a "kind of orderly" fashion as the aircraft filled with water.

He also said a woman's leg "got cut off" in the crash, but there was no confirmation ofsuch aninjury occurring.

Ben Von Klemper, who witnessed the crash from hisoffice in a highrise on48th Street and Broadway,told CBC News it was extraordinary towatch the plane gradually glide toward the waters.

"I really just happened to be looking west across the Hudson River towards New Jersey when I saw a plane come into view heading south along the [river]," Von Klemper said.

He said it was flying in a very gradual angle towards the water.

"Then eventually it just hit the water and it made a big white splash coming out of the river, probably, I don't know, at least 20 or 30 feet [about seven to nine metres] in the air."

Homeland Security and FBI officials said there wasno indication that terrorists were behind the crash.

Joe Mazzone, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot, said it is not unusual for birds to strike planes. In fact, he said, when planes get ready to take off, if there are birds in the area, the tower will alert the crew.

"They literally just choke out the engine and it quits," Mazzone said.

Bird strikes have been reported in two aviation safety investigations in Canadasince 1993, according tothe Transportation Safety Board.

In June 1994, one person was injured when a Wisconsin Aviation Cessna Conquest crashed on takeoff from the airport at Fort Frances, Ont., after a bird struck an engine and caused a loss of directional control.

In May 2000, an Air CanadaDC-9 departing from Edmonton on a flight to Winnipeg lost power to an engine after a bird strike, forcing the pilots to abort takeoff. The plane came to rest about 100 metres off the end of the runway, butnone of the 82 passengers or five crew members was injured.