Lost Director Stunned By New York Crash

All 155 passengers and crew cheated death when a US Airways flight plunged into the water in New York last week (15Jan09) after the craft collided with a flock of geese, losing power in both engines.

The dramatic rescue of those onboard the sinking plane made headlines around the world - just six days before the fifth series of TV hit Lost, which follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a tropical island.

Bender tells the Daily Beast website, "The timing of the plane crash was really interesting. I guess on Lost only the cool people survived the initial plane crash, the ones who you would want to spend an hour of your time with each week.

"One of my mentors and friend Jim Bridges was the director of The China Syndrome with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas. And the film was about a nuclear meltdown, where the core goes down and supposedly causes repercussions. The China Syndrome came out the week that (1979 nuclear disaster) Three Mile Island happened, which was really scary. And it had that same kind of 'Oh my God' feeling as this plane crash just happening. Is it coincidence or is it Memorex?"

And Bender is full of admiration for US Airways Captain Chesley B. 'Sully' Sullenberger for successfully landing the plane on the river, adding: "The one thing about that pilot is he’s extraordinarily gifted - it was a phenomenal task and he’s brilliant at his job, which was good fortune."