Many lives have been saved because of a pilots decision in trying times. A plane crash have been averted series of of times because of the incredible skill of the pilot. Here are some of those interesting scenarios

US Airways 1549 (AKA miracle on the Hudson):

The movie ‘Sully’ is based on it. Basically, the A320 took off, but hit birds and lost both engines. Sullenberger ditched the plane in the Hudson River, and everyone survived.

United 232:

The DC-10 lost an engine, and elevator/rudder control. The pilots ended up crash-landing the plane, using the throttle to control pitch, yaw, and roll. Half of the passengers survived, but it’s a great example of CRM.

Air Canada 143 (AKA Gimli glider):

The 767 lost all engines, but the captain was an experienced glider pilot. He also knew an abandoned airstrip, which was turned into a drag-racing course. They landed there, and no-one was killed.

Cathay Pacific 780:

Both engines failed on the A330, the pilots set both engines to idle, but one engine was stuck at 76% thrust. They managed to land the plane in Hong Kong, with one dead engine, one engine stuck at 76% thrust. They were overspeeding, but everyone survived.

Sichuan 8633:

The cockpit window burst and one of the pilots were nearly sucked out. Even worse, they flew straight into a thunderstorm, but everyone survived. Similarly, British Airways had an incident where a cockpit window shattered, and the pilot was sucked out the plane, onto the ‘roof’. Everyone survived after an emergency landing though.