On Jan. 15, 2009, residents and tourists near midtown Manhattan witnessed history. Close to 3:30 that afternoon, a silent airliner glided onto the frigid Hudson River, coming improbably to rest intact and on the surface. Within minutes, amazed passengers scrambled onto both wings and inflated emergency exit ramps, waving to commuter ferries and boats rushing to rescue them. Across the world, television viewers gaped at the unfolding story: bird strikes to both engines caused them to shut down, turning the U.S. Airways Airbus A320 into an 85-ton glider. Without sufficient altitude or airspeed to land on any nearby runway, the skilled flight crew successfully ditched the plane in the river. All had escaped fatal trauma, hypothermia and drowning. The "Miracle on the Hudson," as the event came to be known, is a testament to how solid leadership, systems knowledge and comprehensive preparation enable correct time-critical decisions to adapt and survive.