TWO WINGS AND A PRAYER: 'There were a lot of scared people'

A doctor, a researcher, a motorist, a ferry passenger and

owners of a bar-cafe were going about their business yesterday afternoon when

they witnessed the astounding sight of a commercial jet making an emergency

landing in the middle of the Hudson River, off midtown Manhattan.

Here are their stories:

'THERE WAS A HUGE SPLASH.' Dr. Daniel Grosu, 35, who lives on the New

Jersey side of the Hudson River, was on his computer working when, from his

fifth-floor apartment, he saw a US Airways jetliner gliding by. He ran to his

balcony.

"I could see the plane coming lower and lower," recalled Grosu, who said

the plane was about 200 to 300 meters above the water.

At first, Grosu said he feared the plane would crash into the buildings.

But the pilot, he said, seemed to have control of the twin-jet Airbus A320,

which was heading south.

"As soon as it hits the water, there was a huge splash. Then, I can see the

plane was floating," said Grosu. "I am no expert, but what I saw was

impressive."

In a matter of seconds, Grosu saw five to 10 people standing on the plane's

left wing, he said. Within minutes, Grosu said, several ferries arrived and

the passengers began boarding the vessels.

'WHY IS IT SO LOW?' Barbara Sambriski, a researcher, was at work at The

Associated Press, when she saw the plane pass by her office window.

[CORRECTION: Seventy-three people died in the Avianca Airline crash in Cove

Neck on Jan. 25, 1990. The number of victims was incorrect in a story Friday.

Also, a portion of one account Friday of the crash of US Airways Flight

1549 was incorrectly attributed to Barbara Sambriski, a researcher at The

Associated Press. The description of the plane passing an office window and of

the scene just after the plane hit water came from other sources. (A19 ALL

1/17/09)]

"I just thought, 'Why is it so low?' And, splash, it hit the water,"

Sambriski told the wire service.

The next moment, she saw the plane submerged in the icy waters up to the

windows. Rescue crews opened the door and began pulling passengers, wearing

yellow life vests, from the plane, she said. Several boats surrounded the

plane, which, Sambriski said, appeared to be sinking slowly.

'JUST SITTING THERE.' Tierney Santiago was driving south on the West Side

Highway, near the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, when he saw the low-flying

plane passing him at a pace that seemed to be going at the speed of the traffic

on the street.

"The plane was close and it was going very slow," he said. "Then eventually

it appeared to hit, rear-first. It was an abrupt stop. There was a huge splash

and the plane was just sitting there. It was a real sight to see."

Santiago pulled his car over.

"The plane was just sitting there quietly," Santiago said.

WAITING ON THE WINGS. Janis Krums was a passenger on a ferry that was

heading to New Jersey when the plane landed in the river. The ferry Krums was

on was diverted to rescue passengers from the plane. It was the first to arrive

on the scene and plucked 30 to 40 passengers who were standing on the plane's

wing.

"It was freezing and they were a little shaken up, but everyone was lined

up on the wings and waiting," Krums said. "We were there by chance."

'IT SLOWLY SANK.' Rich Berlin, 66, and his daughter, Tara Berlin, were

working at the family-owned Hudson Blue-Seatle's Best Caf�, a bar and coffee

kiosk located inside the Port Imperial Weehawken ferry terminal, when the plane

went down.

"I was over at the coffee kiosk and I heard 'Oh, my God' and then I saw a

plane going into the water," said Rich Berlin. "I saw it gliding and stopping

and it slowly sank. It took a while."

Three NY Waterway boats came "racing across" from the Jersey side to where

the plane landed, Rich Berlin said.

Later, some of the passengers were brought to the ferry terminal. "The

first guy who came in was soaked and shaking like crazy," said Rich Berlin.

Berlin and his daughter served the passengers hot dogs, pretzels and coffee.

"A young man asked for a shot," Rich Berlin said. "I gave him coffee."

The second passenger, 25, came off the boat and spoke to Tara Berlin, she

said, making the same request. "'I just need to jog in place and do a shot,'"

he told Tara Berlin, she said. "I gave him a shot of Jack Daniels."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.