Birds 'the cause' of Hudson crash

16 Jan 2009, 8:54 am   -   Source: AFP
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US aviation authorities on Thursday said the crash of an Airbus 320 in New York's Hudson River was an accident and may have been the result of a collision with birds.

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US aviation authorities on Thursday said the crash of an Airbus 320 in New York's Hudson River was an accident and may have been the result of a collision with birds.

"Right now we don't have any indication right now that this was anything other than an accident," the Federal Aviation Authority's Laura Brown told reporters.

She said there were preliminary reports that birds hit the plane, an Airbus flown by USAirways flight 1549 from La Guardia Airport in New York to Charlotte, North Carolina.

"There were reports of a large flock of birds in the area," she said, "but we don't have any indication that this was the cause."

The US Airways flight had 148 passengers and five or six crew, Brown said.

It crashed less than three minutes after take off, she said.

"It made a left turn after take-off, crashed into the Hudson River, and we just got a preliminary report that everyone is off the aircraft.

"It was airborne for less than three minutes after take-off."

Everyone got off the plane and were "believed" to be alive, she said.

"My understanding is that everyone is alive. I don't know if there any serious injuries or not."

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