Originally Posted by
peasant
... As to the 'blame the pilots' - they were certified & trained as per Boeing/ ICAO standards, and in both cases, sure, someone absolutely on the ball, and aware of all the issues, making the right decisions could have saved the aircraft. But Sully failed as well from that POV (pilots in the simulator could land his aircraft safely back, rather than ditching) ...
on the first 20 or so simulator runs, the pilots knew what to expect, and therefore began the emergency procedures immediately ... Capt Sullenberger and the First Officer reminded the investigators that they had had to react to the bird impact, interpret the instrument indications, and determine a course of action before beginning the emergency procedures ... that 30-40 seconds made the difference between a return to LGA (or a safe landing at another airport) and ditching