NTSB investigators have found evidence of a bird strike on US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched into the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan on January 15, 2009. And it has found the missing CFM-56 powerplant from the Airbus A320. The right engine was externally examined and documented. “An examination of the first stage fan blades revealed evidence of soft body impact damage. Three of the variable guide vanes are fractured and two are missing. The engine's electronic control unit is missing and numerous internal components of the engine were significantly damaged,” the NTSB said.
“What appears to be organic material was found in the right engine and on the wings and fuselage. Samples of the material have been provided to the United States Department of Agriculture for a complete DNA analysis. A single feather was found attached to a flap track on the wing. It is being sent to bird identification experts at the Smithsonian,” the Safety Board added.
The left engine has been located in about 50 feet of water near the area of the Hudson River where the aircraft ditched. The NTSB is working with federal, state and local agencies to recover the engine, which is expected to occur sometime on Thursday, Jan. 22.
