I was running a fast ferry a few years back in NYC and this nut landed an airplane on the North River just south of the GW bridge… The engineer on the boat was first to spot the plane drifting on the tide directly astern as he came out of the engine room after starting the engines. We were tied up on the Jersey side near Weehawken. He called for us to come see and when we got back there it was just as the doors of the plane popped open, liferafts inflated, and people in their yellow inflatable PFDs started walking onto the wings, which were partially submerged in the cold water- January.
So we dropped lines and went out there, picked up 19 people including the two pilots, Jeff Skiles, and some guy called Sullenberger…All over in a few minutes. My crew just kept pulling people onto the boat, all I did was hold her up alongside.