Authorities probe cause of plane crash in Hudson River

New York: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other agencies are investigating the cause of a plane crash in New York's Hudson River.

Authorities are looking for clues that bird strikes forced the emergency action that saved 155 lives.

NTSB spokeswoman Kitty Higgins said currents and cold temperatures have hamper efforts to retrieve engines and flight data from the crashed US Airways plane.

The flight data and cockpit voice recorders remained attached to the tail section of the aircraft, which was still partially submerged.

"We want to look at everything that went into making what happened yesterday so survivable," she said.

The aircraft is scheduled to be lifted out of the water out Saturday morning, attached to a barge and moved to a secure location for investigation, Higgins said.

New York Governor David Paterson called it the "miracle on the Hudson" that all aboard the plane survived the crash after the pilot reported birds striking the engines after taking off from La Guardia Airport on Thursday (Friday in the UAE).

The pilot, identified as Chesley Sullenberger III, set down the plane gently enough to keep it afloat long enough until nearby ferries recovered passengers in freezing weather.

US Airways said 150 passengers and five crew were aboard the Airbus A320, headed for Charlotte, North Carolina.

A passenger said that a few minutes after takeoff he heard what sounded like and explosion. "The engine blew. There was fire everywhere and it smelled like gas," said Jeff Kolodjay, from Norwalk, Connecticut.

He said the pilot told passengers to brace for impact. After the aircraft ditched, he said, "People were bleeding all over. We hit the water pretty hard. It was scary."

"You gotta give it to the pilot, he made a hell of a landing," said a visibly shaken Kolodjay, who climbed onto a life raft with other passengers and was rescued from there.