CNN

When US Airways Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River and all of its 150 passengers and five crew members were safely rescued in January, the landing of the airplane by pilot Chesley Sullenberger was quickly proclaimed the "Miracle on the Hudson" and dominated national news for days.

A pilot who virtually grew up in airplane cockpits, writer William Langewiesche set out to analyze what happened in the five-minute flight of US Airways 1549, which lost power in both engines when it collided with a flock of Canada geese. His conclusion after writing a new book "Fly by Wire" - there was no miracle.

"I'm sure Mr. Sullenberger himself wouldn't have used that word," Langewiesche said in an interview with CNN. "There was no miracle. There was extremely skillful flying going on and skillful engineering in the background. You can include the flight attendants and the passengers. ... There was a lot of altruism, kind of a bravery, soberness. They were not hysterical, and there was no stampeding.

"Many good things happened, but they all related to the individual strength of the people involved. That includes [Bernard] Ziegler [the designer of the aircraft], Sullenberger, [co-pilot Jeffrey] Skiles and Patrick Harten, the air traffic controller - he was as good as it gets, offering alternatives, the backing off of alternatives, staying cool."

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LiveATC

CNN's Mike M. Ahlers reported earlier today the story of the flight from San Diego, California, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, that overshot its destination airport by about 150 miles Wednesday. Federal investigators are now looking into whether the pilots had become distracted, as they claimed, or perhaps fallen asleep.

Air traffic controllers lost radio communication with the Northwest Airlines Airbus A320, carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew, when it was flying at 37,000 feet, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Listen in to air traffic control towers from across the country....

An aerial view shows downtown Minneapolis.

By Mike M. Ahlers
CNN

A passenger flight from San Diego, California, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, overshot its destination airport by about 150 miles Wednesday, and federal investigators are looking into whether the pilots had become distracted, as they claimed, or perhaps fallen asleep.

Air traffic controllers lost radio communication with the Northwest Airlines Airbus A320, carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew, when it was flying at 37,000 feet, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. There was no communication with Flight 188 for more than an hour as it approached the airport, the board said.

When air traffic controllers finally made contact with the pilot, his answers were so vague that controllers feared the plane might have been hijacked, according to a source familiar with the incident.

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The FAA is developing new technology to track air traffic via satellite.

Federal Aviation Administration

– What is NextGen? –

NextGen is an umbrella term for the ongoing, wide-ranging transformation of the United States’ national airspace system (NAS). At its most basic level, NextGen represents an evolution from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management. This evolution is vital to meeting future demand, and avoid to gridlock in the sky and at our nation’s airports.

NextGen will open America’s skies to continued growth and increased safety while reducing aviation’s environmental impact.

These goals will be realized through the development of aviation-specific applications for existing, widely-used technologies such as Global Positioning Satellite (GPS). They will also be realized through the fostering of technological innovation in areas such as weather forecasting, data networking, and digital communications. Hand in hand with state-of-the-art technology will be new airport infrastructure and new procedures, including the shifting of certain decision-making responsibility from the ground to the cockpit.

When fully implemented, NextGen will safely allow more aircraft to fly more closely together on more direct routes, reducing delays, and providing unprecedented benefits for the environment and the economy through reductions in carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and noise.

Read more about NextGen and new innovative initiatives from the FAA to revamp air traffic control.

Crews will resume the search for victims of a midair collision over New York's Hudson River.

Susan Candiotti
CNN

Officials will resume their search Sunday for victims of a midair collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River in New York.

Nine people were believed killed in the crash, said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Late Saturday night, investigators located the body of a fourth victim in the wreckage of the sightseeing helicopter. Rescue workers have not yet recovered the body, a source close to the investigation said.

So far, only three bodies have been pulled out.

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Kassim Bakari said he thought he would never see his wife or daughter again after learning of the crash.

Michael Schulder
CNN Senior Executive Producer

It wasn’t the Hudson River. It wasn’t a soft landing. It wasn’t a happy ending. When the Yemenia Airlines Airbus went down in the rough seas of the Indian Ocean, 152 people perished. Everyone on board. Everyone except a 14-year-old girl named Bahia Bakari. The way her father describes her, Bahia did not fit the profile of a survivor. She could “barely swim” her father told the Associated Press. She was, he said, a fragile, timid girl.

Bahia was on the plane with her mother, flying from their home in Paris, to Yemen, then on to the Comoros Islands off the southeast coast of Africa to visit Bahia’s grandma. Their flight was approaching the Comoros when it disappeared from the radar. With the wind blowing at nearly 40 miles an hour, the plane went down in the choppy seas of the Indian Ocean. Bahia’s father, back in Paris, recounted for the AP what his daughter told him over the phone. “Papa, we saw the plane going down in the water. I was in the water. I could hear people talking, but I couldn’t see anyone. I was in the dark. I couldn’t see a thing. On top of that, daddy, I can’t swim well and I held onto something, but I don’t really know what.”

Whatever she held on to, she never let go. Somehow, this timid girl, this weak swimmer, suddenly cast into a dark sea, held on – for five hours by one account - 12 hours according to another. Bahia survived with a broken collarbone. One can only imagine the trauma she feels.

Bahia did what any 14-year-old child would do after such an ordeal. She asked for her mother. Her uncle, who visited her in a Comoros hospital, couldn’t bear to tell her the truth. Your mother, he says he told her, is in the next room. One thing child psychologists advise is never lie to a child. Don’t necessarily volunteer details that they’re not prepared to hear. But don’t lie. Bahia’s father says he does not know who is going to break the news to his daughter. “I can’t tell her,” he says. Perhaps he can tell her this. That they’re still searching for her mother. That’s true. But not the whole truth. A transitional truth.

We hope to hear more from Bahia’s father in the coming days. And maybe we will learn more about how a girl who was timid on the surface, found such strength inside herself.

Some wreckage from Air France Flight 447 has been recovered, including part of the tail.

Kieran Daly
Editor, Air Transport Intelligence

In one way we know a huge amount about the loss of Air France flight 447 - much more than is usual so soon after an accident. But in another, we know nothing at all.

The simple fact is that the blizzard of airworthiness directives, company memos, weather reports, technical specifications and diverse other documents that have surfaced since last week constitute entirely circumstantial evidence.

Aviation history is replete with accidents with causes utterly unrelated to what first seemed the obvious explanation.

For the investigators, the challenge is to keep an open mind while simultaneously pursuing obvious leads before evidence is lost and memories become stale.

But all that said, there are real clues to what might have happened to this Airbus A330.

Two things we know for certain: The aircraft did penetrate a region of severe weather, and the pilots were eventually confronted with a rapid series of system failures.

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Brazilian military personnel on Tuesday carry the remains of one of the passengers of the Air France crash.

Fernando De Noronha
CNN

The first bodies to be recovered from the crash of Air France 447 returned to land Tuesday, as helicopters landed on the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, according to a CNN reporter on the scene.

Two Brazilian helicopters, each able to carry up to eight bodies, took off earlier to rendezvous with the Brazilian Navy ship carrying the recovered bodies.

Meanwhile, four more bodies were recovered Tuesday, according to the Brazilian air force, bringing the total to 28.

Air France 447 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean last week en route from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Paris, France, with 228 passengers and crew on board. It was the deadliest plane crash ever for Air France.

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Debris from Air France Flight 447.

Searchers pick up a piece of debris from Air France Flight 447.

Searchers find the tail section of Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean.

More debris retrieved from Air France Flight 447.

CNN

Three commercial ships were expected to arrive Tuesday at an Atlantic Ocean debris field that may be connected to an Air France jet that disappeared Monday with 228 people on board, Brazilian aviation officials said.

Earlier Tuesday, searchers found an airplane seat, an orange life vest, small white fragments, an oil drum and signs of oil and kerosene about 700 kilometers (435 miles) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazilian Air Force spokesman Jorge Amaral said.

There was not enough material to officially say it is wreckage from Flight 447, Amaral said.

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CNN

The jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that disappeared overnight as it entered an area of strong turbulence probably crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, the CEO of Air France said Monday.

The first three hours of what was to have been an 11-hour flight appear to have been uneventful, CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said.

But about 4:15 a.m. Paris time, Flight 447's automatic system began a four-minute exchange of messages to the company's maintenance computers, indicating that "several pieces of aircraft equipment were at fault or had broken down," he said.

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The missing plane is an Air France Airbus A330-200 similar to this one.

CNN

An Air France plane feared to have crashed in the Atlantic with 228 people aboard reported electrical problems in stormy weather before it lost contact, the airline said Monday, describing the loss as a "catastrophe."

The Airbus A330-200 sent an automatic message signaling an electric circuit failure as it hit turbulence early in its 11-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told a news conference.

The last known contact with the plane was at 1:33 GMT (8:33 p.m. Sunday night ET), according to the Brazilian Air Force.

Brazil says it has launched two air force squadrons to hunt near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha in the Atlantic Ocean, 365 kilometers (226 miles) from its coast, although the plane vanished outside the country's radar coverage.

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Air safety officials participate in a hearing on the crash of the Colgan Air plane near Buffalo, New York.

The tail of the aircraft is visible at the crash site in Clarence Center, New York, in February.

Miles O'Brien
True/Slant

When the wreckage of Colgan/Continental Flight 3407 was still smoldering near Buffalo, I blogged that aircraft icing was a likely potential cause of the crash. Turns out, it was just icing on the cake – a cake that has been in the oven for more than thirty years now.

It was October 24, 1978 when President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act. There were a lot of good reasons then to remove the tie-downs and chalks on the airline industry. The Civil Aeronautics Board had become egregiously bureaucratic and good people with good business plans were stymied by government rules and inaction.

So why not allow the free market to prevail? Wouldn’t competition be a win-win for the American people and the airlines? Thirty years later, it is hard to find a winner – unless your only metric is your ability to fly roundtrip coast-to-coast for $200.

Well I have news for you: your mother was right…you get what you pay for. And tragically, Flight 3407 is what we ordered up back in 1978.

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The pilot of a doomed plane that crashed, killing 50 people, said "Jesus Christ" and "We're down," seconds before the plane hurtled from the night sky into a house outside Buffalo, New York, in February.

The last sounds heard in the cockpit were First Officer Rebecca Shaw saying "We're" and then screaming at 10:16 p.m. on February 12, according to a transcript of the cockpit recording.

Seconds earlier, the pilot, Capt. Marvin Renslow, said, "Jesus Christ," as a sound "similar to stick shaker" was heard, the transcript said. Renslow said, "We're down," and a thump was heard before Shaw said, "We're" and screamed.

We'll have more on the cockpit recordings on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more about the plane crash from Randi Kaye on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

An investigator walks past the wreckage from a plane crash in Clarence Center, New York, in February.

CNN

The pilot of a doomed plane that crashed, killing 50 people, said "Jesus Christ" and "We're down," seconds before the plane hurtled from the night sky into a house outside Buffalo, New York, in February.

The last sounds heard in the cockpit were First Officer Rebecca Shaw saying "We're" and then screaming at 10:16 p.m. on February 12, according to a transcript of the cockpit recording.

Seconds earlier, the pilot, Capt. Marvin Renslow, said, "Jesus Christ," as a sound "similar to stick shaker" was heard, the transcript said. Renslow said, "We're down," and a thump was heard before Shaw said, "We're" and screamed.

The National Transportation Safety Board released the transcript of the cockpit recording on Tuesday as it began a three-day hearing in Washington on the crash.

Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by regional carrier Colgan Air, plunged into a house in Clarence Center, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one man in the house.

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Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear Drew Griffin's full report tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Passengers wait in line for their names to be checked against terror watch lists.

Drew Griffin | BIO
CNN Investigative Correspondent

And I thought it was just me.

It was shortly after we did some pretty scathing reporting on the Federal Air Marshalls service that I found myself labeled a potential terrorist at airports. I never could connect the dots to say there was some sort of retribution, but the hassle of being stopped every time I flew (which is a lot) and asked to provide identification, even my mother’s maiden name, before being allowed to print a ticket, slowed me down and created quite an issue when I was running late.

Instead of suffering alone, I decided to bring you all along for the ride, exposing what I thought was a complete blundering of the terror watch list. My first report focusing on how I found myself on the terror list erupted into a flood of calls from people just like me. All walks of life, even a commercial airline pilot, we were all on that list. And every time I filed a report I got the same retort from the Department of Homeland Security: “Mr. Griffin, you are not on the list.”

Well guess what? Thousands of us are really on that list, and yes, thousands of us are on it by mistake. A just released Inspector general’s report lays it all out. And the report also reveals who’s not on it. I’ll share that with you tonight

Michael Schulder
CNN Senior Executive Producer

It may be time to edit the script of the flight attendant whose brief finger wag is famous among Delta passengers. Her name is Katherine Lee. She looks like she was cast in Hollywood, but she’s a real Delta flight attendant. And her video instructions on how to use seat belts and emergency exits seem to captivate every cabin. She’s hard to ignore, easy to obey. And, therefore, she may be a powerful weapon to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu on airplanes. We’ll get to Ms. Lee shortly. But first …

Thank You, Mr. Vice President

It all started when Vice President Biden gave an “off message” remark that, to be fair, reflected what many were already thinking. He said he would not want his family flying on an airplane now, given the spread of the H1N1 flu. “When one person sneezes,” he noted “it goes all the way through the aircraft.” That set off a flurry of fact-checks here at CNN. AC 360’s Randi Kaye got some fascinating material from Dr. Mark Gendreau, who’s not just any doctor. In addition to being Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, he’s pretty obsessed with the study of how germs and viruses spread on airplanes.

A Droplet’s Range

It was reassuring to hear Dr. Gendreau tell us: “The Vice President got it wrong on this one. There’s no scientific evidence that there is widespread transmission of particles on aircraft.” When an infected person coughs, says Dr. Gendreau and others, the virus droplets only spread about three feet. It was also reassuring to hear him tell us that each section of a plane on a major airliner has its own filtration system, and the system’s are generally HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters which trap fine particles.

Dr. Mark Gendreau says swine flu is focusing attention on how to avoid getting a disease while traveling by air.

The system is not perfect. Dr. Gendreau also noted that the latest statistics from Congress’ investigative arm, the GAO, which found 85 percent of planes among the major airlines have excellent air filtration systems that help prevent viruses from spreading through a plane. The percentage among smaller commuter planes in that GAO survey was worse – about 50 percent. Those latest numbers are from 2004. So we can’t say with independent certainty whether the plane you get on this weekend has a good or bad air circulation system. We can only say chances seem to be good that the air circulation system on a major airline will not spread the virus from an infected passenger through the plane.

Meanwhile, 7 Rows Away …

Dr. Gendreau notes that, while it’s rare for viruses to spread through planes, it’s not unheard of. He describes a case in 2003 in which, as Randi Kaye reported, “about two dozen passengers became infected with the SARS virus after an Air China flight. Some were sitting at least 7 rows away from the infected passenger.” Dr. Gendreau told AC 360’s Kaye that faulty ventilation was likely to blame.

So, to some degree, whether an infected passenger can pass the H1N1 virus to you is a bit of a crap shoot. If the viral cougher is sitting more than a couple rows away from you, and the air filtration system is in good working order, and you’re careful to wash your hands or use an alcohol based sanitizer, and you keep your hands away from your nose and mouth, it’s highly unlikely you’d pick up H1N1 on a plane – especially given the relatively low number of cases believed to be out there now. But if the guy across the aisle from you is infected and coughing up a storm, passes you on the way to the bathroom, or if you get on one of those planes that does not have a first rate air filtration system in working order, then the calculation changes.

Wag Your Finger At This ….

Which is why Dr. Gendreau concludes: “The only way to eliminate any risk of cross-infection in the aircraft cabin … is to prevent would-be passengers .. who are carrying transmissible infections from flying. This needs to come from education and promoting individual responsibility, since the systematic screening of passengers for contagious diseases is impractical.” So, despite the small risk of a virus spreading through a plane, which the airline industry says it is further minimizing by being on the lookout for ill passengers, the key, according to Dr. Gendreau, is promoting individual responsibility. In other words, sick passengers should stay home. That’s where Delta flight attendant Katherine Lee comes in.

If you’ve ever flown Delta chances are you’ll remember her videotaped safety briefing, including the now famous finger wag admonishing passengers not to smoke on any Delta flight. I’d like to suggest an important addition to her script and the script of every flight attendant who gives a safety briefing on any airline.

For Your Safety

My suggested new lines are underlined and are woven through excerpts of Ms. Lee’s actual safety script:

“…. Please take a moment to find the exits closest to you. And remember they may be behind you.”  And please, also, take a moment to look carefully at the passengers closest to you. If they have signs of the flu, such as a persistent cough, please alert a flight attendant. Remember, the most contagious passenger could be right in back of you. So look all around. Please do not use a thermometer on fellow passengers without their permission, even underarm thermometers. “Please remain seated with your seat belt securely fastened any time the seat belt sign is on. And even if the sign is off, you should keep your seatbelt fastened in case we experience unexpected rough air. … (finger wag) Smoking is not allowed on any Delta flight.”  Neither is any passenger who has flu symptoms, including body aches, fever, and a cough. If any of you have those symptoms, and you’ve been able to hide them from your fellow passengers, please come to the front of the plane right now (director’s note – use forefinger for come hither gesture) where you will receive a full refund and an escort to retrieve your checked bags. I SAID NOW!

I suggest that every airline, large and small, deliver the essence of this message, in a clear way. If any readers have a better suggestion, please submit a comment below. It’s a way to encourage that sense of personal responsibility that Dr. Gendreau tells us is critical to preventing the spread of viruses on planes.

Joe Biden was off message. He exaggerated the danger. But his fear is not entirely unfounded. Airlines, please consider revising your safety scripts for the impending pandemic. The message: sick fliers stay home. The Delta Lady can help make the message go viral.