What the 'Miracle on the Hudson' Teaches Us About Disaster Planning

US Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Jan. 15, 2009, headed to Charlotte, N.C.  Three minutes into the flight, the plane struck a flock of Canada geese which resulted in an immediate and complete loss of both engines.  At a mere 3,000 feet, the crew of the aircraft quickly determined they would be unable to reach any airfield so they turned to glide over the Hudson.  What happened in the next four minutes determined the fate of the 155 individuals on board.   

Immediately after losing both engines, Capt. Sully Sullenberger began considering his options: turn back to LaGuardia, find a nearby airport, or crash land somewhere over Manhattan.  While he was speaking with air traffic control, his co-pilot pulled out their flight manual (aka their extensive Disaster Recovery Plan which was hundreds of pages), found the 10-page procedure to follow when both engines fail and began frantically working his way down the checklist to re-start the engines.