Plane had trouble two days earlier

The US Airways jetliner that crash-landed into New York’s Hudson River last week experienced an engine compressor failure two days earlier, federal safety investigators said Monday.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said the board’s examination of the Airbus 320’s records show “there was an entry in the aircraft’s maintenance log that indicates a compressor stall occurred on Jan. 13.” The compressor, or fan, draws air into the engine.

He said the flight had a different pilot that day, and the board planned to interview that pilot to learn more.

NTSB investigators have not uncovered “any anomalies or malfunctions with Flight 1549 from the time it left the gate at LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15 to the point the pilot reported a bird strike and loss of engine power,” Knudson said. Pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III glided the plane to an emergency river landing; all 155 people aboard survived.

CNN reported Monday that passengers on the Flight 1549 that left LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 13 -- two days before the crash-landing -- reported hearing loud bangs followed by the pilot’s announcement that the aircraft was either returning to LaGuardia or going to try to land -- there were differing accounts of the pilot’s statements.

But passengers said the situation appeared to return to normal, and the flight continued on to Charlotte, N.C., CNN said.

It’s not unusual for a flight to continue to its destination after a compressor stall if the engine returns to normal.

The probe into the crash-landing of the US Airways jetliner is expected to take a year, and the lessons learned from it will last much longer, said Robert Benzon, a senior NTSB investigator and the chief investigator on the case.

“I think this one is going to be studied for decades,” he said.