Here's A List Of The World's Most Legendary Mid-air Miracles That Saved Hundreds Of Lives
It's not everyday that a passenger with no flying experience lands a small plane safely in Florida after the pilot falls ill. Many bizarre instances involve plane crash survivals and safe landings despite engine failure. Here is a list of the world¡¯s most spine-chilling airplane miracles that tell a tale of heroism, skill, and plain old good luck.
1)?Passenger with ¡®no idea how to fly¡¯ lands plane in Florida?
Beginning from the most recent and in what seems to be straight out of a movie scene, a passenger with no flying experience landed a small plane safely in Florida after the pilot fell ill.The passenger managed to land the plane with the help of air traffic controllers.
¡°I¡¯ve got a serious situation here,¡± the passenger said, according to audio on LiveATC.net, a website that broadcasts and archives air traffic controller communications.?¡°My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly an airplane.¡±
The aircraft was occupied by the pilot and two passengers, according to a statement by the Federal Aviation Administration. Officials haven¡¯t identified any of them.
2)?US Airways Flight 1549 ¡°Sully¡±
In January 2009, a US Airways plane made history by landing on water. Dubbed as the ¡°Miracle on the Hudson¡±, the incident saw pilot Chesley ¡°Sully¡± Sullenberger safely gliding the aircraft on the Hudson River after its engine lost power following a bird hit soon after taking off from the LaGuardia Airport, New York.
The airplane had 155 passengers on board when it made its way to the freezing Hudson River.
Even though the pilot was expecting the plane to flip over and crash, the plane miraculously landed safely, with no passenger getting hurt. Captain Sully was widely hailed as a hero for the incredible maneuvering of the plane. The incident was adapted into the popular film ¡®Sully¡¯ in 2016, starring Tom Hanks.
3)?Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
In October 1972, the Uruguayan air force had 40 passengers and five crew members on board. While crossing the Andes, the aircraft had mysteriously disappeared altogether. After a search operation of 72 days, 16 survivors from the plane crash were rescued. They were forced to eat the bodies of their dead friends and other passengers to keep themselves alive.?
4)?China Eastern Airlines Flight A333
In October 2016, a China Eastern Airline flight missed a crash by a whisker when it was able to avoid runway collision with another plane by just 19 meters. The Airbus A320 was preparing for take-off from a Shanghai airport when it saw an Airbus A330 in its path. The pilot, He Chao, did some quick thinking, and accelerated and flew over the other aircraft.
Thus, he successfully avoided a head-on crash by a narrow mark, saving the lives of 439 passengers in the process.Investigations found that the control center and the crew of A330 had failed to maintain communication with the controller. Authorities revoked the licenses of two air traffic controllers who were found to be directly responsible for the incident.
5)?Southwest Airlines Flight 1380
In April 2018, Captain Tammie Jo Shults saved the lives of 148 passengers. After one of the engines exploded, she made a successful emergency at the Philadelphia International Airport.Twenty minutes after the flight had departed from New York, debris from an engine failure blew a window out. As passengers were left horrified, the pilot¡¯s calm voice helped to soothe frayed nerves and maintain composure.
Shults, an ex-US Navy fighter pilot, calmly described the emergency to air traffic control while trying to safely land the plane. Once the plane landed, she walked through the aisle and personally spoke to the passengers to make sure they were all right. Shults was widely lauded for her composure and nerves of steel.
6)?Cathay Pacific Flight 780?
In April 2010, a Cathay Pacific flight with 322 passengers and crew had both of its engines fail. The two Australian pilots, Malcolm Waters and David Hayhoe, were able to safely land the aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport. Because the power setting in one of the engines jammed during landing, the aircraft had to land at twice the normal speed.Later, the pilots were decorated with the Polaris Award for Heroism and Airmanship. Only about 57 passengers sustained minor injuries. The most serious one? A broken ankle by an elderly woman.
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