Have you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) not seen how your Lord dealt with the
Owners of the Elephant? [The elephant army which came from Yemen under the
command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka'bah at Makkah].
Did He not make their plot go astray?
And sent against them birds, in flocks,
Striking them with stones of Sijjîl.
And made them like an empty field of stalks (of which the corn has been eaten
up by cattle). (105:1-5)
US authorities have confirmed that birds collided with both engines of the US
Airways flight that ditched into New York's Hudson River last month.
Samples from both engines have been sent to the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington so that the bird species can be identified.
The engines did not appear to have prior problems, officials said.
All 155 passengers and crew of Flight 1549 survived the landing on the Hudson,
which made headlines worldwide.
On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said an engine surge in
one of the plane's engines two days before the crash was due to a faulty
temperature sensor which had been replaced.
Both the US Airways Airbus A320's engines had passed inspections before the
crash, officials said.
Flight data also showed there were no problems with the engines until pilot
Capt Chesley B "Sully" Sullenberger reported hitting birds.
The right engine remained attached to the airliner when it hit the water on 15
January.
The left engine separated and had to be retrieved from the mud on the bottom of
the river near where the jet ditched.
Flight data show both engines cut out simultaneously and the sound of thumps
could be heard after Capt Sullenberger's reported approaching birds.
The plane had only managed to reach a top altitude of 3,200ft (975m).
The 155 passengers and crew were rescued from the sinking aircraft by boats.
Capt Sullenberger was the last to leave after checking the plane for any
remaining passengers or crew.
