Watch CBS News

Sully weighs in on Delta emergency landing

(CBS News) The "Miracle on the Hudson" pilot said it's "a bad idea" to build anything near an airport that's likely to attract birds.

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger made the comments Friday on "CBS This Morning" after a bird strike caused the emergency landing of a plane on Thursday.

Delta Airlines flight 1063 had an emergency landing at JFK, the airport it just took off from Thursday, after a bird strike knocked out an engine. No one was injured in the landing.

The plane landed safely back on the ground after a harrowing few minutes in the air. Inspectors examined the right engine, which was damaged after what passengers describe as violent shaking followed by smoke seen in the cockpit.

(Watch Michelle Miller's report on the Delta flight.)

"The loss of a single engine is on takeoff is something that pilots train for on a regular basis," Sullenberger said. "It's well within the skill set."

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger safely landed US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January 2009 after its engines were disabled after hitting a flock of birds.

One passenger shooting video after takeoff captured striking footage of a flock of birds out the window. A freeze frame shows at least seven birds some of which were probably ingested in the right engine.

Sullenberger said bird populations have grown in the past decades. He expressed concern about a proposal in the city of New York to build a trash facility near LaGuardia airport.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.