1st minute: take-off
2nd minute: flames
3rd minute: crash
I don’t know what you were doing at 3:28pm on Thursday, January 15, 2009, but I was getting a cup of coffee in our in-house coffee shop. Half-an-hour later, I found out that a plane had crashed into the Hudson River. Thankfully, the 150+ people (passengers + crew) survived the crash with minor injuries. However, watching the whole thing live from my managing director’s office was extremely intense. I still remember the first moment I found out what had happened…
I was at my desk watching some YouTube videos when I noticed lots of people running into my MD’s office. I stood up to see what the commotion was all about. By that time, more than ten people had pressed their faces against the window. “A plane crashed into the Hudson!” One person exclaimed. ”Passenger plane?” “Can’t be?” “Survivors?” “Don’t know…” I couldn’t believe my ears. No way. This must be a joke. I ran towards the window and looked out. In the distance, I saw several boats and ferries circling a large triangular piece jutting from the water. It was the tail of the plane. From where we stood, we could barely make out the words “US Airways”.
Almost immediately, I assumed the worst. I felt a deep knot in my stomach as I imagined the plane submersed in water. And then, as soon as someone opened the emergency door, water would rush into the cabin with full force breaking everything in its path. I felt the fear these passengers would have. I felt the icy cold water sending thousands of knives through their shocked bodies. Images of passengers-young and old-screaming for dear life, of crew members making their last wishes, of people closing their eyes and embracing death…
Every time I tried to remove myself from such thoughts, I would return to that singular question: what would be going through your head in those last three minutes before you died? That you were about to leave everything and everyone you love behind? That you were about to take your last breathe? For me, I’m not sure what I would think about… There are still so many things I have yet experienced… so many people I have yet to encounter… and so many moments I want to share with those I love. The more I thought about everything, the more I felt myself on the verge of tears.
Unfortunately, we had no source of live information due to I.T. blocks on our computers, so we had to wait. With each passing minute, I could see images piling in my head. In particular, one image always resurfaced: the image of a mother telling her child to take that final breath and praying to God that she could bring the child to the surface, even if it cost her her own life…
Slowly, the news trickled in. Confirmed: US Airway flight 1549 passenger plane had crashed into the Hudson River at around 3:30pm, 3 minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia. Both engines went out after hitting a flock of Canadian geese. The captain, Chesley Sullenberger, had one choice-head for the Hudson River. With 29 years of experience including years with the US Air Force, the Captain brought the plane in a controlled manner into the water. Many witnesses said the plane looked as if it was gliding into the water, not at all like a crash landing.
For these 150+ people, January 15th was probably the scariest but luckiest day of their lives. They were given a second chance to do all the things they thought of doing in those three minutes…
In the 3 minutes you have left to live, what would be racing through your mind?
