Airline flight has become immensely safer since the early days, thanks to more advanced equipment and better pilot training. One hazard that remains, however, are “bird strikes” – collisions between birds and aircraft. Serious enough to cause structural damage when they hit windscreens, birds can actually create deadly situations when they down engines on aircrafts in flight.

Today, January 15, in 2009, U.S. Airways flight 1549 from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina passed through a flock of birds while gaining altitude. Both engines sucked in a bird or several, and caught fire. Captain Chesley Sullenberger, a former fighter pilot, radioed back to LaGuardia about a possible landing in nearby New Jersey, but upon seeing the plane had no power at all, changed his mind, saying “We can’t do it … we’re going to be in the Hudson.” Sullenberger expertly ditched the plane in the river, allowing all passengers to safely exit the plane and be rescued.

New York city emergency services and a raft of volunteers quickly gathered to assist evacuation of the passengers. Considering the situation, there were very few casualties: only half of the people on board required treatment for light injuries or hypothermia; all but three escaped serious injury. Captain Sullenberger was credited with the safe escape and honored by both outgoing President Bush and President-elect Obama, who invited him to the inauguration.