Surviving the Crash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOOD OF CHOICE AFTER A PLANE CRASH: PIZZA

 

Tripp Harris, 37-year-old businessman and a passenger of Continental Airlines Flight 1549, was calmly riding in a plane leaving New York City.  He just finished some buisiness with one of his banking clients when disaster struck.  As the plane flew over the Hudson River after leaving JFK airport, some birds came flying toward the plane’s engines and were sucked into the jet turbines.  This caused the plane’s engines to break, and the plane to spin out of control into the water.  What was Tripp thinking as the plane was hurdling 300 miles per hour into the cold winter waters of the Hudson River? The Howard Hype was able to conduct and email interview with Tripp Harris to find out.  Here is his story.

~Anthony Coscia

Howard Hype: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do for work? Do you have a family?

Tripp Harris: I’m 37 years old. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, went to NC State University to study engineering and work for Accenture, a global consulting company. I live in Charlotte and am married to Michelle Harris and we have a 2½ year old boy, Mason.

HH:  Why were you flying out of New York that day?

TH: I was leaving NY to return home after meeting with one of our banking clients. We were working on a proposal to help them replace one of their computer systems.

HH: Do you ever think about plane crashes when you fly?

TH: When I first moved to Charlotte in 1994, there was a bad plane crash during a thunderstorm where no one survived. This has always been in the back of my mind, but statistically it is the safest way to travel.

HH: Did you have a fear of flying before this incident?  

TH: No. I enjoyed flying, and can easily sleep during flights.

HH: Where were you sitting on the plane?

TH: I was sitting in seat 4C. This was the first row behind first class on the left side of the plane in the aisle seat.

HH: Did you pay attention to the safety overview before your flight?

TH: No, I’ve heard it a thousand times and tune it out. I did take a quick glance at the safety card, just to confirm the type of aircraft we were on. I noticed the plane was an A320-EOW. I was familiar with this plane, and I found it interesting that we had an EOW version (Extended Over Water). This was actually a benefit for our water landing, meaning that we had life jackets under every seat (although I didn’t grab mine before exiting the plane).

HH: At what point did you know something was wrong?

TH: As soon as the bird strike happened, it shook the cabin. I was very concerned because we immediately quit climbing.

HH: Did you ever think this situation was an act of terrorism?

TH: It never crossed my mind. I really just thought one of our engines had just failed.

HH: When did you first hear from the pilot or crew that something was wrong? What did he say?

TH: After the bird strike the plane eventually leveled out and made a few turns. I actually calmed back down thinking that we were just going to head back to the airport and land. It was almost a minute later that the pilot gave us only one message, “Brace for Impact!”

HH: How did you feel when you knew the plane was going down?  

TH: I got a hard knot in my stomach (I’m getting one now just writing about this). My first thought was “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I quickly realized it was really happening, and I asked for God to be with all of us on the plane and that I could really use His help right now. My thoughts then turned to my wife and son. I was very worried about how my wife would cope with not having me and how I was going to miss out on getting to see my son grow up.

HH: What did it feel like when the plane landed in the water?

TH: Honestly, it was similar to a roller-coaster ride. We bounced a little and were thrown side to side, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. I was really surprised on how quickly we came to a stop, and pleasantly surprised the plane stayed together.

HH: If you could pick a song to describe this experience what would it be and why?

TH: The first song that came to my head was “I Want to Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz, only because about 8-10 years ago I went skydiving and that is the song they dubbed to a video of the jump. I certainly wanted to “get away” from the plane as it was heading for the water.

HH: Did your life flash before your eyes as the plane was going down? If not, what were five things you thought of?

TH: There was no flash back to previous experiences in my head. Everything centered on the opportunities I’d miss out on yet to come. Things I thought of:

• God and praying that he would be with us
• I was glad I have a good life insurance policy
• How sad my wife would be and how would losing me would affect her emotionally
• Never getting to throw a baseball with my son; never getting to see him play sports
• How much I loved my family and how I wished I had spent more quality time with them.

HH: Did you think about any regrets in your life during this experience? What were they?

TH: My only real regret was not spending more time with my family. I get too caught up in work sometimes and don’t spend enough real quality time doing the little things.

HH: How were the other passengers reacting around you during the flight and afterwards?

TH: There was a big gasp in the cabin after the initial bird strike. It was pretty scary, but everyone went back to being calm as it seemed like the plane was okay after the strike. After Captain Sulley told us to “brace,” it really was calm. I believe everyone was really focusing on their own thoughts and prayers. Once off the planes and on the ferries, we were all pretty happy. There were a bunch of hugs, and tears of joy as everyone contacted love ones via cell phone.

HH: Was the rescue a chaotic or an organized situation?

TH: The initial rescue seemed very organized. The ferry boats were there within 3 minutes and took us back to shore where we were held for the next 3-4 hours. This part was a little chaotic. There were many organizations helping out, but it appeared that no one organization was in charge. We had police detectives, firemen, the Red Cross, and Missing Persons on the scene. It seemed each organization was collecting our names and personal information so they could account for everyone on the flight. I must have been interviewed 20 times by different people on the scene.

HH: Did you help anyone and did anyone help you?

TH: There was help from everyone. The coffee stand in the ferry terminal gave everyone free coffee and tea. A fireman let me use his phone to contact friends and family. A police officer gave me a pen to write down phone numbers. A co-worker came down to the docks to give me a ride to the hotel.

HH: What was the most inspirational thing you saw during this situation?

TH: My company was amazing. It made me very happy to be an Accenture employee. They booked my wife on a flight to come up to NY to be with me that same night. They got me a hotel room, took care of getting me toiletries, got me new clothes to wear, and even a new cell phone charger.

HH: At what point did you know you were going to live?

TH: When the plane came to a stop without breaking up. I knew I was in a great spot on the plane to be able to get to an exit quickly.

HH: Did you sleep well the night after the plane crash?

TH: My wife and I stayed up late in the hotel room, mainly watching the news and just being thankful for how lucky we were.

HH: What was the first thing you ate?

TH: The hotel manager offered us free room-service. I ordered up a pizza and my wife ordered some pasta.

HH: Have you been able to thank the pilot and crew? If not what would you say to them now?

TH: I got to meet the pilot and crew last week. The news show 60 Minutes was doing a special on the pilots and crew and invited many of the passengers to reunite with them. I shook Captain Sulley’s hand, told him I couldn’t thank him enough and gave him a “man-hug.” It was very emotional for my wife and I.

HH: Did your family know about the crash before you could tell them that you were okay?

TH: I actually called my wife while still inside the plane and told her that we had crashed, that I loved her, and that I needed to get off the plane. I then hung up while I was jumping onto the life raft. In retrospect, I should have probably waited until I was on the raft when I was completely safe.

HH: How has your life changed after this experience?

TH: My priorities have definitely shifted. I cherish the little moments with my wife and son. Everything tastes sweeter, and the little things don’t bother me as much.

HH: Will you ever fly again?

TH: I flew home the next day on another Airbus 320. The flight was pretty full, so I ended up in a window seat near the back of the plane. I was a little uneasy, but was okay. I haven’t flown since then, but will start flying to NY every week starting in March. I sure hope Captain Sulley is my pilot!

by  THE  HYPE  STAFF