US AIRWAY Flight 1549 Salvage

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US AIRWAY Flight 1549 Salvage Pollution Response
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Immediately upon the notification that a
passenger plane had ditched in the Hudson River,
local Coast Guard units mobilized into an
Incident Response Team and seamlessly coordinated
with emergency responders and passenger vessels
to rapidly rescue the survivors
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Even before the conclusion of the unprecedented
rescue of all 155 passengers and crew onboard US
Airways Fligh1549 Sector NY FOSCR and Pollution
Investigators arrived on scene to coordinate Port
Safety and Pollution Response.
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Once it was confirmed that all persons on board
the aircraft were safe the Incident Response Team
focused all of its efforts towards the recovery
of the aircraft and the containment of the fuel
still onboard the plane
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SITUATIONAircraft was mostly submerged in the
Hudson River at the tip of Battery Park City in
ManhattanIt was no longer moving but it was
slowly sinking and settling in the
mudStructural condition of the plane was
unknown36 water temperature and 20 air
temperature. Approximately 2600 gallons of JP-5
on board aircraft
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Unified Command for Aircraft SalvageNTSBUS
AirwaysNY City Office of Emergency ManagementNY
State Department of Environmental ConservationNY
City Department of Environmental ProtectionWeeks
Marine Salvaged the aircraftHMHTTC -
OSRONYPDFDNYUS Coast GuardNOAANJ State
Police
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Concerns Icing conditionsFast river current
Safety of the salvage personnel, the divers
First RespondersWere the engines still
attachedFuelLoss of evidence Can the
aircraft be salvaged in one complete section?
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Goals Protect the safety of the salvage
personnel, the divers and First Responders
Prevent a fuel spillSalvage the aircraft in
one piece Safely transport the aircraft to the
Weeks yard in Bayonne New JerseyPreserve
Evidence for the NTSB InvestigationReopen the
waterway to unrestricted traffic
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Process Develop a Salvage, Safety and
Pollution Prevention Plan Divers conducted
extensive underwater surveys to determine the
condition of the aircraft Modified the salvage
plan based on the survey Prior to lifting all
pollution response equipment was prepared and
pre-staged on the shore or on the barge used to
transport the aircraftOnce a final review was
conducted the Aircraft was carefully lifted up.
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Even with the below freezing temperatures, icing
conditions and fast river current the aircraft
was safely salvaged two days later with no fuel
spilled into the Hudson River
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Preserved vital evidence for the National
Transportation Safety Boards investigation.
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On the third day the fuel was carefully drained
from the wing tanks and the aircraft was
transported to New Jersey
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Port engine was recovered from the river 5 days
after the crashThe aircraft was disassembled
for transportation