I forward this from a friend.  A cell phone photo was atttached but the 
Listserver strips attachments.  The photo was of the jet in the water taken 
from very close range, probably standing on a wing or raft.  I Snoped it 
and got no hits.

John Lee



One of Accentures own was on the US Air flight that went down in the river 
a couple of weeks ago, and has memorialized his experience so impressively 
that I could not help but share it with you.

In the interest of maintaining his and his familys privacy, Ive redacted 
the writing to exclude any references to his identity, but, the essence of 
the tale remains.

  Eb



From: XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 1:35 PM
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Subject: Flight 1549 - My Experience

  Hello, All.

  I realize many folks have expressed an interest in hearing (1st hand) the 
full details of flight 1549&

  But, before I go into that, let me begin by saying THANK YOU!  I cant 
thank everyone enough for all the support, emails, text messages, and 
voice-mails Ive received.  This event has made me extremely proud to be an 
Accenture employee and has made me realize how blessed I am to have such a 
great network of colleagues and friends to lean on.

  The story:

I flew up to New York late Wednesday night for a quick client meeting on 
Thursday morning. I had booked a 5PM return, but since we wrapped up around 
noon, I decided to head to the airport early and jump on the earlier flight 
(flight 1549).

  Everything was normal on takeoff... We lifted off under full throttle and 
after a minute or so, the pilot throttled back and continued climbing. It 
was at least 2-3 minutes more before we heard a loud crash that shook the 
cabin. At this point, it sounded like the captain quickly backed off on the 
throttle and leveled the plane. We made a few turns, but seemed to be 
flying level and straight. Although, initially, there was a gasp, the 
sudden quiet brought about a sense of relief across all of us... We were 
still flying, and it seemed like we would be going back to the airport. 
However, at that time, we started to smell some smoke in the cabin (to me, 
like an electrical burnt smell).  While concerning, I still felt like 
things were alright because we seemed to be flying ok.

  We continued to cruise, what seemed to be level for the next several 
minutes. It was clear we were following the Hudson River , but I really had 
no idea both of our engines were completely out.

  Then came the announcement... "BRACE FOR IMPACT"... It was a very calm 
voice and in the same demeanor as you routinely here the Captain say, 
"Flight Attendants Prepare the Cabin for Arrival".

  In my mind the first thought was, "You've got to be kidding me, right?" 
Then it sunk in... We were going down, and we were going to do it in the 
river. The next thing that went through my head was a quick prayer... "Dear 
Lord, please help us through this... I could really use You right now".

  The flight attendants were giving quick instructions... Head between your 
knees, grab your ankles. Then they started to chant, "Tuck and Brace, Tuck 
and Brace".  The plane appeared to be descending normally, maybe even 
slower than a normal landing.

  I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and powered it up... Maybe I'd 
have a chance to call my wife and tell her that I love her and to make sure 
she tells my 2 year old son that I Love him every day. The phone started to 
come up, but I never did get any bars to make that call.

  They say your life flashes before your eyes in the final moments... It 
didn't for me. I was focused on how my wife would manage, how I'd never get 
to see my son grow up.  I was also very glad I opted for the 7X my salaryon 
the life insurance.

  Still looking for bars on my cell, I could tell, we were really close to 
the water. I did what the flight attendants said and quickly tucked & 
braced, holding on tight... Then we hit the water. It was pretty bumpy and 
it felt like we took a hard left turn in the water, but we came to a stop. 
I was expecting the worst... Maybe the plane would flip... Maybe it would 
break apart and flood quickly.  It didn't.

  I was sitting in the bulk head row just behind first class (seat 4D). As 
we stopped, the Captain announced quickly, "Abandon Plane, Abandon Plane!" 
Within seconds, the stewardess in the front was popping the doors open and 
we were sliding out to safety. I went out the front right door which turned 
out to be probably the best option as only the front doors had inflatable 
rafts that deployed.

As I got to the end of the raft, I looked towards both shore-lines... My 
thought was if the raft was too full, could I swim it? There wasn't a 
chance, it was approximately 1/2 mile in each direction and you could tell 
the water was Titanic-stylecold. At this point, people were pouring out of 
the plane onto the wings and it was a great feeling to know we were all 
getting out.  Another quick look at the shorelines, and I realized there 
was a ferry approaching fast... In fact, there were 4 ferries and they all 
arrived simultaneously.

Once everyone from our raft was on board, the Ferry quickly made tracks for 
the Manhattan shoreline and the ferry terminal. It wasn't more than a 2-3 
minute ride before we docked and all headed into the terminal.

They used the terminal as a holding area in order to establish counts of us 
all.   Luckily, I had already made several calls to my wife, and was now 
focused on reaching out to a wider group of folks to let them know I was 
fine.  I quickly received a voice mail from Wayne xxxxxxxxx trying to find 
out if I was on the plane.  After returning his call, I was able to provide 
him with the details and asked him to contact the Employee Assistance hotline.

The Employee Assistance Program was truly a God-send.  They immediately 
contacted my wife, keeping her up-to-date.  They also purchased a plane 
ticket for her so she could fly up to NY that evening to be with me. They 
arranged for a car service to come down and retrieve me from the docks, 
took care of booking me a hotel room and handled the travel arrangements 
for my return flight on Friday.

Wayne xxxxxxx took charge of the car service and came down to the pier to 
take care of me. The whole area was blocked off by firemen and police, so I 
figured there was no way for him to get in... Sure enough, he slipped by 
wearing his long overcoat, looking very much like many of the detectives on 
the scene. After a few more minutes, I ditched my American Red Cross 
blanket, and still wearing my suit, I slipped out with Wayne the same way 
he came in. I couldn't wait to be back somewhere warm, and somewhere I 
could get away from the chaos of the day.

Back at the Hotel, there was food in the room waiting on me (thanks Dan 
XXXXX!).  I had also mentioned that I needed a phone charger and there were 
two brand new chargers ready to top off my phone.  On another table there 
was a full set of toiletries. A few minutes later a bell man arrived with a 
wardrobe of clothes in my size from Lord and Taylor.  It turns out, my wife 
had provided my sizes to the employee assistance group and they took care 
of the rest.

I didn't have much time before I jumped in the car service and headed to 
the airport to meet my wife. Seeing her come down the stairs to baggage 
claim was about the greatest thing in the whole world. The crash was quite 
surreal and left me feeling with a sense of, "Am I really alive, or did I 
really go down with the plane and I'm just dreaming all of this." When she 
came through security and was finally in my arms, I knew it wasn't a dream 
and that everything was truly ok.

I made it back to Charlotte Friday afternoon... We got home just before 4PM 
and rushed over to pick up my son from the neighbors. The tears were 
unstoppable as I thought about how lucky I was to hold him in my arms again.

An event like this really puts into perspective how important your family 
is and how easy it is to take them for granted.  As consultants we work 
many hours and I find that when Im home, I just want to relax and 
unwind.  It has only been a few weeks, but I believe Ive experienced a 
fundamental shift in that regard.  The time I spend with my family has 
become real quality time and every moment is cherished.

Id like to close this with a few thank yous to some amazing folks within 
the Firm.  First, Wayne , you are the man!  I cant imagine how much more I 
could have taken being stuck in the ferry terminal area.  It was also great 
just having a beer with you and putting the day behind me.  Second, I cant 
say enough about the support I received from Dan xxxxxxxx.  He jumped into 
action and made an attempt at retrieving me from the docks.  At the Hotel, 
he made sure my wife and I had everything we needed (as well as a few 
things beyond what we needed).  Most importantly, he made sure we were 
comfortable and convinced me that I should take some down time to spend 
with Family (Im so glad I took your advice!).  I want to thank xxxxx 
xxxxxxxx who led up the incident from the Global Asset Protection group.  I 
really feel you provided amazing support and in true Accenture fashion well 
beyond my expectations. Lastly, thank you Mary xxxxxx who immediately 
contacted my wife, and with repeated phone calls, helped to facilitate her 
flight, as well as coordinated with other groups in helping to insure I had 
all I needed.  According to my wife, Mary provided the support she needed 
for her as well, lending an invaluable virtualshoulder to cry on.

Thank YOU all&










* To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, *
* etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *