Coast Guard Vessels Help Recover Photo Courtesy of the US Coast Guard
On a cold January day in New York City the155 people on board of US Airways Flight1549 made an emergency landing in theHudson River.
Thanks to the skill of the crew and firstresponders all passengers and crew weresaved. Numerous sources have noted the“flawless” landing and response of this unusual incident.
Coast Guard small boats were deployed alongwith other state and local assets to aid in therescue of passengers and recovery of the aircraft.
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his aircrew have repeatedly given their thanks to the first responderswho got the passengers out of the water and to safety so quickly. The crew’s humble attitude after theunique landing and their story is as refreshing as it is enlightening. This incident points out the need for us, as Auxilarists, to take these lessons to heart.
The crew were well trained in their emergency procedures and Capt. Sullenberger is an expert in CockpitResource Management (CRM). CRM works to isolate errors, facilitate communications, and support positivedecision making processes amongst the crew. The fundamentals of CRM were developed around aviation, buthave been applied to various other industries and can easily be applied to Coast Guard Auxiliary operations and training.
Before going out on a patrol crews can discussresponses to various emergencies they mayencounter and what everyone’s responses should be. Checklists shouldn’t be tucked away only to be usedduring annual inspections, but should be followed toset the tone for regular, systematic, operations.Finally, we can learn to remain calm duringemergencies and communicate our situation quickly tothe coxswain and follow their instructions so thateveryone can return home safely.
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