Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson is a book written in 2009 by William Langewiesche

William Langewiesche

William Langewiesche is an American author and journalist, and was a professional airplane pilot for many years. Since 2006 he has been the international correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine.-Career:...

 about US Airways Flight 1549

US Airways Flight 1549

US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...

 with emphasis on the role played by the advanced fly-by-wire flight control system of the aircraft.

The following is an excerpt:

...the NTSB ran a study of the choices available. A simulator was programmed to duplicate the circumstances of Sullenberger's bird strike...and four pilots were enlisted to fly a series of attempts on LaGuardia. In the setup there were two important differences from the actual flight. First, the starting point was the location of the bird strike itself, not the location where Sullenberger came out of his turn. Second, the pilots knew the game in advance. ... In every case where the pilots were allowed to respond immediately to the loss of thrust by making a quick turn back to the airport, every one of them was able to land safely. ... In recognition [of the need to account for reaction time] the NTSB then imposed a thirty-second delay before allowing the simulator pilots to fly their returns--and every one of them crashed.

Sullenberger made the right decision. No matter what. ... Even if people had died because of landing in the Hudson. Going for Runway 13 [at LaGuardia] would have been a crapshoot in an environment of obstacle-strewn waters, where missing the runway by fifty feet is like missing it by a mile.

Langewiesche does not, however, state how the environment around Runway 13 at LaGuardia is surrounded by water similar to the Hudson River. Nor does this assessment by Langewiesche, an experienced pilot, address the option of gliding into Teterboro airport

Teterboro Airport

Teterboro Airport is a general aviation relief airport located in the Boroughs of Teterboro, Moonachie, and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey...

on the west side of the Hudson and how a 30-second delay before pilot reaction actually brings the trajectory closer to Teterboro.

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