Apparently, very, very carefully:
NEW YORK – Investigators encountered more treacherous conditions Saturday as they embarked on the delicate task of trying to hoist the miracle US Airways jet from the Hudson River without damaging the airplane.
National Safety Transportation Board member Kitty Higgins said the agency and salvage company officials were still trying to work out the logistics of how to lift the 80-ton plane onto a barge. The partially submerged plane is tethered to a sea wall in lower Manhattan.
Investigators began interviewing the pilot, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, and his co-pilot for the first time Saturday, said NTSB spokeswoman Bridget Serchak. Sullenberger glided the crippled aircraft into the river on Thursday afternoon when he couldn’t make a nearby airport, saving the lives of all 155 people on board.
Crews will use a crane to raise the plane a few feet at a time to let the water drain out. If the deluge doesn’t flush out on its own, bilge pumps will be used to get ride of the rest. Load cells will be attached to each wing to measure the plane’s weight as it comes out of the water.
Next time you fly U. S. Airways, smell the plane. If it has a Hudson River-y sort of smell, you might want to take another flight.
The You Tube video posted here:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/
shows the plane hitting the water and about 8 minutes of the rescue. Aside from the obvious fact that this is a plane crash, the talented piloting, the quick reaction of the ferries and the bahavior of crew and passengers are all remarkable and laudable.