ARMENIAN PASSENGER AMONG THOSE ON BOARD US AIRWAYS "MIRACLE FLIGHT"
Carl Bazarian said he and other passengers on board the Charlotte-bound US Airways Flight 1549 "knew we were going to die" yesterday afternoon when they realized that the jetliner was descending into the Hudson River.
But within moments their fortunes reversed, as all 150 passengers and five crew members safely climbed out of the floating aircraft and awaited rescue.
"We evacuated and everyone helped each other out. It was like one big family," Mr. Bazarian said. "A near-tragic occurrence turned into a very positive humanitarian experience."
Bazarian, an active member of the Armenian Church and the vice chairman of the Fund for Armenian Relief's Board of Directors, was traveling via Charlotte to his home in Florida on Thursday, January 15.
About four minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York, Mr. Bazarian said, there was a loud noise followed by fire and smoke. Passengers were "upset, but we weren't panicky or overly concerned," he said, explaining that people assumed the pilot would return to LaGuardia.
Instead, Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III warned passengers to prepare for impact - and "Boom, we hit the water," Mr. Bazarian said.
"For about 10 or 11 seconds it's surreal, but then adrenaline kicks in," Mr. Bazarian said. Evacuees lined up along the plane's wings and waited to be brought to shore. Those standing on the left wing were ferried to New York. Passengers on the right wing, including Mr. Bazarian, were taken to New Jersey.
Many were standing without winter coats in the frigid air. Mr. Bazarian said he was wet up to his knees as the water rose around the Airbus A320.
Still, the general mood was calm and optimistic.
"I had a good feeling when we were on the wing that we had a good chance of surviving," Mr. Bazarian said.
The "shared experience, belief in each other, and trust" brought people together, he added. Women and children boarded the lifeboats first, followed by the other passengers.
"It was tense, but there was no screaming or yelling or panic," Mr. Bazarian said.
Officials are still investigating the crash, but initial reports said collision with a flock of birds caused the engines to fail. Mr. Bazarian said once passengers exited the plane, many thanked the pilot for the expert landing.
Mr. Bazarian returned to LaGuardia yesterday evening and took another flight to Charlotte. He arrived in Florida this morning.
"Carl is such a fine man, such an excellent leader, and we are grateful to God for rescuing him and all the passengers on that plane," said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
Mr. Bazarian said his faith offered comfort amidst the tumult. He was halfway through the Lord's Prayer when the plane hit water.
"It's good to have faith in God," he said. "And it worked."
- Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
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By Nairi Muradian, translated by L.H.According to Armenian National Assembly MP of ARF (Dashnaktsutyun) faction Ara Nranian, present-day economic crisis has positive and negative sides. "The positive side is that in case of rapid changes ...ARMENIAN PASSENGER AMONG THOSE ON BOARD US AIRWAYS "MIRACLE FLIGHT"
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)Carl Bazarian said he and other passengers on board the Charlotte-bound US Airways Flight 1549 "knew we were going to die" yesterday afternoon when they realized that the jetliner was descending into ...
US CIA NEW HEAD RECOGNIZES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
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Translated by L.H.PACE TO DISCUSS IMPLEMENTATION OF 1609 AND 1620 RESOLUTIONS JANUARY 27
"A-320" AIRPLANE FELL INTO STORM ZONE
- 1780 The Armenian colony of New Nakhichevan (Rostov, Russia) is founded.
- 1921 Publication in Brussels of Abbot Matern Muret's memoirs. He witnessed the Genocide of the Marash Armenians by the Turks from January 20 to February 11, 1920 as a result of French perfidy. He called the killing of 20000 Armenians during that time enough to make any human insane.
- 1933 Opening of the Spendiaryan State Opera Building in Yerevan.
- 1989 The Supreme Soviet of the USSR establishes a special authority headed by Volsky in Artsakh. This authority is directly subject to the USSR Government rather than to Soviet Azerbaijan. In the summer, a National Council was formed which represented all strata of Artsakhs population.
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