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Flight 1549 Passenger Recounts Horror To CBS 2 HD

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Jan 16, 2009 6:29 am US/Eastern

Flight 1549 Passenger Recounts Horror To CBS 2 HD

Bill Zuhoski Of Long Island Says He Was Convinced He Was Going To Drown ... But Then The Doors Opened

Reporting
John Slattery
NEW YORK (CBS) ― On Thursday afternoon 155 got onboard US Airways Flight 1549 bound for North Carolina from LaGuardia Airport. A few minutes after takeoff the plane crash-landed in the Hudson River.

But everyone onboard survived.

The news that no one died -- not a single soul -- is astonishing.

CBS 2 HD caught up to one of the extremely fortunate at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital.

Of all the passengers who were brought into Roosevelt Hospital, most suffering from hypothermia, 23-year-old Bill Zuhoski of Long Island said he also suffered bumps and bruises from the impact, which came right after the pilot said, "Brace yourself for impact."

Zuhoski said passengers linked arms with each other.

"The impact of hitting the water was just the most tremendous impact you could imagine -- head slammed, lost glasses, water came up immediately," Zuhoski said.

Zuhoski was sitting toward the back of the plane, seat 23-A. He said some passengers started running to the rear, perhaps thinking there were exits in the back.

"As the plane got heavier in the back with all the weight of the people, the water came up, started to get to my neck under water, and I thought I was going to drown right there," Zuhoski said.

Then the passengers calmed down as the exit doors were opened. Zuhoski said he took off most of his clothes fearful that he might have to swim, and crawled over the tops of the seat, got into a dinghy, wearing only his underpants.

"They all … people threw coats on me and kept me warm," Zuhoski said. "You're happy to be alive and happy to know everyone else on the plane is okay."

But most of all, he said, credit goes to skill of the pilot.

"Everyone owes their lives to the pilot. He did an amazing job," Zuhoski said.

Other passengers agreed wholeheartedly.

"[The pilot] was phenomenal," passenger Joe Hart said. "He landed it -- I tell you what -- the impact wasn't a whole lot more than a rear-end (collision). It threw you into the seat ahead of you."

"He did a phenomenal job getting everyone out," passenger Diane Higgins added.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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