A cool-headed pilot maneuvered his crippled jetliner over New York City and ditched it in the frigid Hudson River on Thursday, and all 155 on board were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank. It was, the governor said, "a miracle on the Hudson." (25 images)
Airline passengers wait to board a ferry to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York, Thursday, after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. All 155 people on board survived. AP / Steven Day
Airline passengers wait to board a ferry to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York on Thursday after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. All 155 people on board survived. AP / Steven Day
In this photo taken by a passenger on a ferry, airline passengers leave a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York on Thursday after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. All 155 people on board survived. AP / Janis Krums
Passengers in an inflatable raft prepare to move away from an Airbus 320 US Airways aircraft that had gone down in the Hudson River in New York on Thursday. AP / Bebeto Matthews
Airline passengers wait to board boats to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York on Thursday after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. All 155 people on board survived. AP / Steven Day
Rescue boats float near a US Airways plane floating in the water after crashing into the Hudson River in the afternoon on Thursday in New York City. The Airbus 320, flight 1549, crashed shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport heading to Charlotte, N.C. Getty Images / Neilson Barnard
Rescue boats float next to a US Airways plane floating in the water after crashing into the Hudson River in the afternoon on Thursday. Getty Images / Jerritt Clark
Rescue boats float near a US Airways plane floating in the water after crashing into the Hudson River in the afternoon on Thursday in New York City. Getty Images / Neilson Barnard
Passengers in an inflatable raft move away from an Airbus 320 US Airways aircraft that had gone down in the Hudson River in New York, on Thursday. AP / Bebeto Matthews
A US Airways jetliner is accompanied by emergenccy craft and a civilian ferry as it floats down the Hudson River in New York on Thursday. All passengers and crew members were reported to have survived after the plane plunged into the river shortly after takeoff. The New York Times / Michael
Appleton
Spectators gather across the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J., as rescue boats surround a U.S. Airways jet that went down in the water on Thursday. The New York skyline is seen in the background. AP / Mike Derer
An Airbus 320 US Airways aircraft that went down in the Hudson River is seen in New York on Thursday.AP / Edouard H. R. Gluck
An Airbus 320 US Airways aircraft that went down in the Hudson River is seen in New York on Thursday. AP / Edouard H. R. Gluck
A US Airways plane rests against a retaining wall after the pilot ditched the disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River in New York on Thursday. A collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines, but rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as the plane sank. AP / Louis Lanzano
Onlookers gather to get a look at the partially submerged US Airways jet after it came to rest on the east bank of the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan on Thursday. All passengers and crew members were reported to have survived after the plane plunged into the river shortly after takeoff. The skyline in the background is Jersey City, across the river from Lower Manhattan. New York Times / Michael Appleton
A US Airways plane floats in the water near the coast after crashing into the Hudson River in the afternoon on Thursday near the Battery Park neighborhood in New York City. The Airbus 320 flight 1549 crashed shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport heading to Charlotte, N.C. Getty Images / Julian Ungano
A US Airways plane rests against a retaining wall after the pilot ditched the disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River in New York on Thursday. A collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines, but rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as the plane sank. AP / Louis Lanzano
A US Airways plane rests against a retaining wall after the pilot ditched the disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River in New York on Thursday. AP / Louis Lanzano
A police officer tries to maintain order as onlookers gather to get a look at the partially submerged US Airways jet after it came to rest on the east bank of the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. All passengers and crew members were reported to have survived after the plane plunged into the river shortly after takeoff. New York Times / Michael Appleton
Rescue workers watch as a US Airways plane floats in the water after crashing into the Hudson River in the afternoon on Thursday in New York City. The Airbus 320 flight 1549 crashed shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport heading to Charlotte, N.C. Getty Images / Neilson Barnard
Authorities move an unidentified passenger, second from right, to a waiting ambulance after the plane she was on crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday in New York. A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending 150 on board scrambling onto rescue boats, authorities say. No deaths or serious injuries were immediately reported. AP / Liz Schultz
Sandy List, left, gets a kiss from her husband Nelson, right, after arriving in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday on a flight from New York. Several of List's co-workers were on US Airways flight 1459 that crashed into the Hudson River earlier in the day. AP / Chuck Burton
Josh Peltz, of Charlotte, N.C., left, and another unidentified survivor of the US Airways plane crash in the Hudson River, wait for a bus to take them from a First Aid center in Weehawken, N.J. back to La Guardia Airport on Thursday. AP / Stuart Ramson
A member of the flight crew is rushed to a waiting ambulance after a US Airways jet plunged into the Hudson River off the West Side of Manhattan on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. All passengers and crew members were reported to have survived. New York Times / Chang W. Lee
A survivor of a US Airways jet's emergency landing in the Hudson River is brought to St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan on Thursday night. All 150 passengers and 5 crew members escaped safely minutes after the plane took off from LaGuardia Airport and then plunged into the icy river. New York Times / Katie Orlinsky
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