US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 ACCIDENT (111-10) HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION FEBRUARY 24, 2009 Printed for the use of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 47-866 PDF WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-0001 COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota, Chairman NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia, Vice JOHN L. MICA, Florida Chair DON YOUNG, Alaska PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee Columbia VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan JERROLD NADLER, New York FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey CORRINE BROWN, Florida JERRY MORAN, Kansas BOB FILNER, California GARY G. MILLER, California EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina GENE TAYLOR, Mississippi TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, California SAM GRAVES, Missouri LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas BRIAN BAIRD, Washington SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia RICK LARSEN, Washington JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine CONNIE MACK, Florida RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri LYNN A WESTMORELAND, Georgia GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii MARY FALLIN, Oklahoma JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania VERN BUCHANAN, Florida TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota ROBERT E. LATTA, Ohio HEATH SHULER, North Carolina BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky MICHAEL A. ARCURI, New York ANH "JOSEPH" CAO, Louisiana HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona AARON SCHOCK, Illinois CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, Pennsylvania PETE OLSON, Texas JOHN J. HALL, New York STEVE KAGEN, Wisconsin STEVE COHEN, Tennessee LAURA A. RICHARDSON, California ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas PHIL HARE, Illinois JOHN A. BOCCIERI, Ohio MARK H. SCHAUER, Michigan BETSY MARKEY, Colorado PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama MICHAEL E. McMAHON, New York THOMAS S. P. PERRIELLO, Virginia DINA TITUS, Nevada HARRY TEAGUE, New Mexico SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois, Chairman RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina MICHAEL E. McMAHON, New York JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey Columbia JERRY MORAN, Kansas BOB FILNER, California SAM GRAVES, Missouri EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois CONNIE MACK, Florida MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii LYNN A WESTMORELAND, Georgia HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio JOHN J. HALL, New York MARY FALLIN, Oklahoma STEVE COHEN, Tennessee VERN BUCHANAN, Florida LAURA A. RICHARDSON, California BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky JOHN A. BOCCIERI, Ohio NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia CORRINE BROWN, Florida ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, California JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas MARK H. SCHAUER, Michigan JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota (Ex Officio) CONTENTS Page Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... vii H.Res. 84 "Honoring the heroic actions of the pilot, crew, and rescuers of US Airways Flight 1549" ..................................................................................... xv TESTIMONY Carey, Captain John, Chairman, Accident and Investigation Committee, U.S. Air Line Pilots Association ............................................33 Dail, Flight Attendant Sheila, US Airways, Inc. ............................. 7 Dent, Flight Attendant Donna, US Airways, Inc. .............................7 Gilligan, Margaret, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Federal Avia- tion Administration ................................................. 33 Harten, Patrick F., Air Traffic Control Specialist, New York Terminal Radar Approach Control ................................................................................................. 7 Kolander, Candace K., Coordinator, Air Safety, Health, and Security, Associa- tion of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO ................................ 33 Ostrom, John, Chairman, Bird Strike Committee-USA, Manager, Airside Op- erations, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, accompanied by Rich- ard Dolbeer, Chairman, (1997-2008) Bird Strike Committee-USA ... .......... 33 Prater, Captain John, President, Air Line Pilots Association, International .. 33 Reis, Mark, Managing Director, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Board Member, Airports Council International of North America ............................. 33 Skiles, First Officer Jeffrey B., US Airways, Inc. ............................. 7 Sullenberger, III, Captain Chesley B., US Airways, Inc. ........................ 7 Sumwalt, III, Hon. Robert L., Member, National Transportation Safety Board, accompanied by Tom Haueter, Director, Office of Aviation Safety, National Transportation Safety Board ..........................................33 Welsh, Flight Attendant Doreen, US Airways, Inc. ............................7 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Carnahan, Hon. Russ, of Missouri ....................................... 53 Costello, Hon. Jerry F., of Illinois ........................................ 54 Johnson, Hon. Eddie Bernice, of Texas .................................... 59 McMahon, Hon. Michael E., of New York .................................. 62 Mica, Hon. John L., of Florida ........................................... 65 Mitchell, Hon. Harry E., of Arizona ....................................... 72 Oberstar, Hon. James L., of Minnesota .................................... 73 Petri, Hon. Thomas E., of Wisconsin ...................................... 76 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY WITNESSES Carey, Captain John ................................................................................................ 81 Gilligan, Margaret ................................................................................................... 92 Harten, Patrick F. ................................................................................................... 116 Kolander, Candace K. .............................................................................................. 120 Ostrom, John ............................................................................................................ 164 Prater, Captain John ............................................................................................... 172 Reis, Mark ................................................................................................................ 192 Skiles, First Officer Jeffrey B. ...................................... ..... 208 Sullenberger, III, Captain Chesley B. .................................... 214 Sumwalt, III, Hon. Robert L. ..................................... ...... 217 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Gilligan, Margaret, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Federal Avia- tion Administration, responses to questions from the Subcommittee .......... 105 VI Page Prater, Captain John, President, Air Line Pilots Association, International, "Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Strategies for Pilots," February 2009, executive summary ............................................................................................................... 184 Skiles, First Officer Jeffrey, US Airways, Inc., expanded testimony .................. 211 ADDITIONS TO THE RECORD DeTect, Inc., Gary W. Andrews, Chief Executive Officer, written statement . 237 US Airways Group, W. Douglas Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Offi- cer, written statement .......................................... ..... 248 U.*. Matuse of iRepresentatiues Committee on Eransportation anb 3Infrastrutture jameS L. Oberstar wafjungton, DeJ20515 jebn IL Aita airman anking Republican Blember DdHtney,hie csmrtafs February 23, 2009 anmeiw.cor. ia reyumnnchierstr WardW. Mcreragher, chief Counsel SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER TO: Members of the Subcommittee on Aviation FROM: Subcommittee on Aviation Staff SUBJECT: US Airways Flight 1549 Accident PURPOSE OF HEARING The Subcommittee will meet on Tuesday, February 24, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building to receive testimony on the US Airways Flight 1549 Accident. Background On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 ditched' into the Hudson River at 3 3 0 approximately : p.m. following a double-engine failure while en route to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. There were 150 passengers onboard the Airbus A-320 (N106US), in addition to the following five flight crew: Captain Chesley "Sully" B. Sullenberger III, First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, and flight attendants Sheila Dail, Doreen Welsh, and