Scientists from the Smithsonian have confirmed that migratory Canada geese, not local Canada geese, caused US Airways Flight 1549 to ditch in New York’s Hudson River on January 15th.
Scientists who tested the remains of 3 geese found inside the engines of the downed airliner have determined that the geese were from Labrador, Canada and not geese that normally live in the New York area. At least two female and one male geese flying at approximately 2,900 feet were sucked into the two engines of the Airbus A320 causing the pilot to crash land the jet into New York’s Hudson River. All 155 people on the plane survived.
It has been known since early in the investigation that geese caused the accident, but until now their origin remained a mystery.