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A perspective on gratitude and greed relating to the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight 1549.

I’ve heard that some of the survivors from the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ aka US Airways Flight 1549 aka the aeroplane that crashed in New York are going to sue US Airways for compensation as a result of ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’.

From what I understand, US Airways have already offered compensation to each passenger, including free flights and some monetary compensation.  I assume they made this compensation available prior to the threat of a class action lawsuit.

Now I’ve never been in a plane crash, nor anything remotely comparable to what the passengers of this flight must have experienced, but isn’t this a situation where you count your lucky stars that you’re alive, without serious injury and stop there?

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Whilst I don’t think the word ‘miracle’ applies to this event, it was a pretty fortunate outcome.  It could have been a lot worse.  There are not many stories in aviation history when large passenger planes end up in the water and everyone walks away. 

The plane lost power to both engines at low altitude over a populated area.  When ditching into water is your best option, you know you’re having a bad day as a pilot.  But from all accounts, the flight crew did everything they could to bring about the good outcome.  All the passengers walked away to tell the tale, albeit some with minor injuries and no doubt some trauma experienced when you think your life is about to end.

No matter what your religious persuasion, as a passenger on that flight you’d have to be feeling pretty blessed.  Whether it’s luck, karma or God’s hand, you get to see your family again.  Many people involved in other well-known aviation accidents in the same city were not so fortunate.

But lawyers being lawyers and the United States being the United States, let’s play victim and drag some money out of someone for what they did to us.  People, what US Airways did to you was to give you a flight crew that knew what to do when the shit hit the fan.  What the city of New York gave you were kind people that came to your rescue. 

Survival is worth more than you’ll ever get from a lawsuit.