Jamey Sheridan Quotes

Chesley Sully Sullenberger It was not a crash, it was a forced water landing.

Ben Edwards Why didn't you attempt to return to LaGuardia?

Chesley Sully Sullenberger There simply was not enough altitude.

Ben Edwards Multiple airports, runways, two successful landings. We are simply mimicking what the computer already told us.

Charles Porter A lot of toes were stepped on in order to set this up for today. And frankly, I really don't know what you gentlemen plan to gain by it.

Chesley Sully Sullenberger Can we get serious now?

Charles Porter Captain?

Chesley Sully Sullenberger We've all heard about the computer simulations, and now we are watching actual sims. But I can't quite believe you have still not taken into account the human factor.

Charles Porter Human piloted simulations showed you could make it back to the airport.

Chesley Sully Sullenberger No, they don't. These pilots were not behaving like human beings, like people who are experiencing this for the first time.

Charles Porter Well they may not be reacting like you did.

Chesley Sully Sullenberger Immediately after the bird strike, they are turning back for the airport, just as in the computer sims, correct?

Charles Porter That is correct.

Chesley Sully Sullenberger They obviously knew the turn, and exactly what heading to fly. They did not run a check. They did not switch on the APU.

Charles Porter They had all the same parameters that you faced.

Chesley Sully Sullenberger No one warned us. No one said "You are going to lose both engines at a lower altitude than any jet in history. But be cool. Just make a left turn for LaGuardia, like you're going back to pick up the milk." This was dual engine loss at 2,800 feet, followed by an immediate water landing, with 155 souls on board. No one has ever trained for an incident like that. No one. Now, the Teterboro landing, with its unrealistic bank angle - we were not the Thunderbirds up there. I'd like to know how many times the pilot practiced that maneuver before he actually pulled it off? I'm not questioning the pilots. They're good pilots. But they've clearly been instructed to head for the airport immediately after the bird strike. You've allowed no time for analysis or decision-making. In these simulations, you've taken all of the humanity out of the cockpit. How much time did the pilots spend planning for this event? For these simulations? You are looking for human error. Then make it human.