This is from a Managing Partner at
Heidrick & Struggles who was on Flight
1549.
As many of you now know, Gerry McNamara
(New York/Charlotte) was on US
Airways Flight 1549 last week. We caught
up with him to discuss the harrowing
incident and - in a departure from our
usual format -present his stirring
account as told to us:
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Thursday was a difficult day for all of
us at the firm and I left the Park
Avenue office early afternoon to catch a
cab bound for LaGuardia Airport.
I was scheduled for a 5
pm departure, but able to secure
a seat on the earlier flight scheduled
to leave at
3 pm. As many of us who fly
frequently often do, I recall wondering
if I'd just placed myself on a flight I
shouldn't be on!
Just prior to boarding I finished up a
conference call with my associate, Jenn
Sparks (New
York), and our placement,
the CIO of
United Airlines.
When I told him that I was about to
board a
US Airways flight, we all had a
little fun with it.
I remember walking on the plane and
seeing a fellow with grey hair in the
cockpit and thinking "that's a good
thing... I like to see grey hair in the
cockpit!"
I was seated in 8F, on the starboard
side window and next to a young business
man. The
New York to Charlotte flight is
one I've taken what seems like
hundreds of times over the years. We
take off north over the Bronx and as we
climb, turn west over the
Hudson River to
New Jersey and tack
south. I love to fly, always have, and
this
flight
plan gives a great view of
several NY landmarks including
Yankee Stadium and
the
George Washington Bridge.
I had started to point out items of
interest to the gentleman next to me
when we heard a terrible crash - a sound
no one ever wants to hear while flying -
and then the engines wound down to a
screeching halt. 10 seconds later, there
was a strong smell of jet fuel. I knew
we would be landing and thought the
pilot would take us down no doubt to
Newark Airport. As
we began to turn south I noticed the
pilot lining up on the river still - I
thought - en route for
Newark.
Next thing we heard was "Brace for
impact!" - a phrase I had heard many
years before as an active duty Marine
Officer but never before on a commercial
air flight.
Everyone looked at each other in shock.
It all happened so fast we were
astonished!
We began to descend rapidly and it
started to sink in. This is the last
flight. I'm going to die today. This is
it. I recited my favorite Bible verse,
the
Lord's Prayer, and
asked God to take care of my wife,
children, family and friends.
When I raised my head I noticed people
texting their friends and families
getting off a last message. My
blackberry was turned off and in my
trouser pocket, no time to get at it.
Our descent continued and I prayed for
courage to control my fear and help if
able.
I quickly realized that one of two
things was going to happen, neither of
them good. We could hit by the nose,
flip and break up, leaving few if any
survivors, bodies, cold water, fuel. Or
we could hit one of the wings and roll
and flip with the same result. I
tightened my seat belt as tight as I
could possibly get it so I would remain
intact.
As we came in for the landing, I looked
out the windows and remember seeing the
buildings in
New Jersey, the
cliffs in Weehawken, and then the piers.
The water was dark green and sure to be
freezing cold. The stewardesses were
yelling in unison "Brace! Brace! Brace!"
It was a violent hit - the water flew up
over my window - but we bobbed up and
were all amazed that we remained intact.
There was some panic - people jumping
over seats and running towards the
doors, but we soon got everyone
straightened out and calmed down. There
were a lot of people that took
leadership roles in little ways. Those
sitting at the doors over the wing did a
fantastic job, they were opened in a New
York second! Everyone worked together -
teamed up and in groups to figure out
how to help each other.
I exited on the starboard side of the
plane, 3 or 4 rows behind my seat
through a door over the wing and was, I
believe, the 10th or 12th person out. I
took my seat cushion as a
flotation device
and once outside saw I was the only one
who did. None of us remembered to take
the yellow
inflatable life vests from
under the seat.
We were standing in 6-8 inches of water
and it was freezing. There were two
women on the wing, one of whom slipped
off into the water. Another passenger
and I pulled her back on and had her
kneel down to keep from falling off
again. By that point we were totally
soaked and absolutely frozen from the
icy wind.
The ferries were the first to arrive,
and although they're not made for
rescue, they did an incredible job. I
know this river, having swum in it as a
boy. The Hudson is an estuary - part
salt and part fresh water - and moves
with the tide. I could tell the tide was
moving out because we were tacking
slowly south towards
Ellis Island, The
Statue of Liberty, and The Battery.
The first ferry boat pulled its bow up
to the tip of the wing, and the first
mate lowered the Jacobs ladder down to
us. We got a couple people up the ladder
to safety, but the current was strong
pushing the stern of the boat into the
inflatable slide and we were afraid it
would puncture it. There must have been
25 passengers in it by now. Only two or
three were able to board the first ferry
before it moved away.
Another ferry came up, and we were able
to get the woman that had fallen into
the water on the ladder, but she just
couldn't move her legs and fell off.
Back onto the ladder she went; however,
the ferry had to back away because of
the swift current. A helicopter arrived
on station (nearly blowing us all off
the wing) and followed the ferry with
the woman on the ladder. We lost view of
the situation but I believe the
helicopter lowered its basket to rescue
her.
As more ferries arrived, we were able to
get people up on the boats a few at a
time. The fellow in front of me fell off
the ladder and into the water. When we
got him back on the ladder he could not
move his legs to climb. I couldn't help
him from my position so I climbed up the
ladder to the ferry deck where the first
mate and I hoisted the Jacobs ladder
with him on it, when he got close enough
we grabbed his
trouser belt and hauled him on deck. We
were all safely off the wing.
We could not stop shaking.
Uncontrollable shaking. The only thing I
had with me was my blackberry, which had
gotten wet and was not working. (It
started working again a few hours
later).
The ferry took us to the Weehawken
Terminal in NJ where I borrowed a phone
and called my wife to let her know I was
okay. The second call I made was to Jenn.
I knew she would be worried about me and
could communicate to the rest of the
firm that I was fine. At the terminal,
first responders assessed everyone's
condition and sent people to the
hospital as needed. As we pulled out of
Weehawken my
history kicked in and I recall it was
the site of the famous duel between
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in
1804. Thankfully I left town in better
condition than Mr. Hamilton who died of
a mortal wound the next day! I stayed
with my sister on
Long Island that
evening, then flew home the next day.
I am struck by what was truly a miracle.
Had this happened a few hours
later, it would have been pitch dark and
much harder to land. Ferries would no
longer have been running after rush hour
and it would not have been the same
uplifting story. Surely there would have
been fatalities, hypothermia, an
absolute disaster!
I witnessed the best of humanity that
day. I and everyone on that plane
survived and have been given a second
chance. It struck me that in our work we
continuously seek excellence to solve
our client's leadership problems. We
talk to clients all the time about the
importance of experience and the ability
to execute.
Experience showed
up big time on Flight 1549 as our pilot
was a dedicated, trained, experienced
professional who executed flawlessly
when he had to.
I have received scores of emails from
across the firm and I am so grateful for
the outpouring of interest and concern.
We all fly a great deal or work with
someone who does and so I wanted to
share this story - the story of a
miracle. I am thankful to be here to
tell the tale.
There is a great deal to be learned
including: Why has this happened to me?
Why have I survived and what am I
supposed to do with this gift? For me,
the answers to these questions and more
will come over time, but already I find
myself being more patient and forgiving,
less critical and judgmental.
For now I have 4 lessons I would like to
share:
1. Cherish your families as never
before and go to great lengths to
keep your promises.
2. Be thankful and grateful for
everything you have and don't worry
about the things you don't have.
3. Keep in shape. You never know
when you'll be called upon to save
your own life, or help someone else save
theirs.
4. When you fly, wear practical
clothing. You never know when you'll
end up in an emergency or on an icy wing
in flip flops and pajamas and
of absolutely no use to yourself or
anyone else.
Thanks to all who have reached out, I
look forward to seeing you soon!
This was forwarded by a Dick Freeman and
I have taken the liberty to copy it
and to add the following.