CBS 2 HD has learned the crippled plane missed the George Washington Bridge by just 900 feet.
The veteran pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, guided the Airbus 320 into the Hudson near 48th Street after it lost two engines shortly after its 3:26 p.m. takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. Early reports said the plane hit a flock of birds.
The 57-year-old Sullenberger, from Danville, Calif., is a 29-year US Airways veteran and a former U.S. Air Forcer fighter pilot who flew F-4 aircraft. He is president of Safety Reliability Methods, a California safety consulting firm.