Believe it or not, the January 15, 2009 flight out of LaGuardia Airport was the first time Sullenberger and Skiles had been paired in the cockpit. Sullenberger had thousands of hours flying the A320, while Skiles had just recently transitioned from flying a Boeing 737 for USAir, and had very limited A320 experience.

Skiles begun the flight as pilot in command, but turned the controls over to Sully to fly what was now a really huge glider after they flew through a flock of Canadian geese, totally destroying their engines. Skiles began performing procedures to restart the engines, working through a checklist for in-flight emergencies, but because they were flying at less than 4,000 feet they ran out of time before the aircraft settled onto the Hudson River. All souls on board survived the landing. Their experience exhibited the best in what aviation calls “cockpit resource management”.

More Info: www.nytimes.com