Flight 1549 Scare Two Days Before Hudson River Crash Landing

The CNN report indicates that the very same Airbus A320 which crashed into the Hudson River was rocked by two loud bangs 20 minutes after takeoff on January 13th.

However, in that flight, the plane did not need to turn around and land, although the pilot originally indicated it would have to. According to one of the passengers, Steve Jeffrey of Charlotte, NC, the pilot explained as follows:

"About 10 minutes later when we never made the turn, we kept going, that's when the pilot came on and explained -- I wish I could remember the words -- I remember him using air, compression and lock -- I'm not sure the right order, but he made it sound like the air didn't get to the engine and it stalled the engine out, which he said doesn't happen all the time but it's not abnormal."

CNN confirmed with EAC, an Indianapolis, Indiana, private consulting firm that includes commercial airline pilots on its staff, that the planes involved in the Jan. 13th incident and the miraculous Hudson River landing two days later were one and the same.

It's unclear if the Jan. 13th incident is in any way related to the Hudson River ditching. Investigations into the ditching by the FAA and NTSB may take as long as a year, some estimate.