[redforever]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Looking at that picture it would appear he brought that plane in land the only possible way he could without it ripping apart. Having the tail hit the water first, with no engine power is tribute to some awesome flying. It probably allowed the rest of the plane to slow down enough before hitting the water to keep everything else from ripping apart.

The engines on that Airbus are below the wings. The pilot pretty well has to land it perfectly level in the water, with the engines above the water. If the engines catch water on landing, the plane will somersault.

So yeah, the pilot has to land the tail first and pull the cockpit up and the wings have to be level to the water as well. They have to turn off cabin pressure so it is the same as outside, they have to seal the underbelly so the plane becomes more buoyant. Luckily in this case, since a short flight, the plane was probably not completely loaded with fuel, helping with buoyancy as well. The pilot and crew are to be commended for a job well done.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/16/national/main4727689.shtml