Pilot praised for 'Hudson miracle'

Passengers on the US Airways aircraft prayed as pilot Chesley Sullenberger told them to brace themselves for a heavy landing after the plane got into difficulties shortly after take-off.

Mr Sullenberger managed to land the Airbus A320 plane perfectly on the river and a series of vessels raced to the scene.

Passengers spoke of their happiness in just being alive while rescuers told of scared-looking passengers, with one woman clutching a child and "screaming for joy" when help arrived.

As an official transport safety team investigated the crash, there was worldwide praise for Mr Sullenberger, who aviation experts said had "done everything right".

It is thought that the plane, which had take off from New York's LaGuardia airport bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, might have been the victim of a birdstrike but this has not been officially confirmed.

One of those on board the stricken plane was Jeff Kolodjay, who said passengers started praying after the pilot warned them to brace themselves for a hard impact.

Mr Kolodjay, from Norwalk, Connecticut, said that three or four minutes into the flight the left engine blew. He went on: "The pilot told us to brace for impact and that pilot did one hell of a job making sure everyone, or the vast majority of people, got off."

All the passengers were later accounted for. Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg told a press conference: "It would appear that the pilot did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river and making sure that everyone got out."

A 20-strong team, led by senior air safety investigator Robert Benzon, will begin work to salvage the plane from the icy waters. Peter Knudson, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said: "As a priority, we will attempt to recover the plane. We will also be interviewing flight crew, cabin crew and any witnesses."