US Airways Plane Crashes Into Hudson River

Details at WCBS:

A U.S. Airways airplane has crashed into the Hudson River, CBS 2 has learned. The plane appears to be in one piece and passengers are being evaucated by rescue teams.

Officials tell CBS 2 the airplane is Flight 1549, an Airbus 380 that took off from La Guardia Aiport and headed to Charlotte, N.C. There are reports that there were about 60 people on board.

Passengers could be seen standing on the wing of the plane and entering a rescue boat.

“It was just going down further and further and further and then all of a sudden it was gone,” a witness named Peter told CBS 2. “I’m shaking, it was crazy. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There was nothing wrong with the plane, it wasn’t wobbling, there was no smoke coming out of it!”

There are reports that a bird strike may have caused the plane to go down, meaning a bird may have entered the engine, causing a malfunction. The bird strike apparently disabled both engines.

City officials have called a massive casualty emergency, though it’s not yet known if there are any deaths.

There is no word on injuries to passengers.

The plane is floating upright in the water near the USS Intrepid. Temperatures at the time of the crash in the city were just about 20 degrees, with the water temperature likely much colder.

According to Dr. Max Gomez, a person in 40 degree water will likely lose consciousness after 30 minutes.