Everyone survived US Airways Flight 1549 from NY to North Carolina

(CNN) — Fred Baretta was aboard US Airways Flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, when he heard a loud bang and the plane shook.

Passenger Jeff Kolodjay speaks to reporters after escaping from the downed plane.

“We were still on ascent, and the engine blew out,” he said. “The pilot turned around and made a line for the river.”

Passenger Alberto Pinero said that immediately, he smelled smoke.

“All of a sudden, the captain came on and said brace for a landing, and that’s when we knew we were going down,” he said.

The Airbus A320, carrying Pinero and more than 150 other passengers and crew, crash-landed in the Hudson River on Thursday after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York.

A New Jersey State Police source told CNN the pilot radioed to air traffic controllers that he had experienced a bird strike and declared an emergency.

“We knew there wasn’t a lot of time because we were quite close to the ground, and it felt as though the descent was somewhat rapid,” Baretta said. Watch Baretta describe the landing »

As the plane headed down toward the river, the cabin was mostly silent, Baretta aid.

“After he told us prepare for impact, it was pretty evident we were not going to make the runway.”

Pinero said the impact felt like a car crash.

“Then all of a sudden, it was ‘Get out, get out now,’ ” he said.

Jeff Kolodjay was sitting in seat 22A right next to the engine believed to have caused the plane to go down.

“The plane started filling with water pretty quick,” he said. “It was scary. There was a lady with her baby on my left-hand shoulder, and she was crawling over the seats.”

Upon impact, passengers left behind their coats and luggage. They grabbed life vests and seat cushions and headed toward the exits.

“It seemed like it lasted an eternity,” Baretta said.

When the plane began to sink, some passengers began to panic, Pinero said. Watch Pinero describe what he saw and heard »

“But there was a couple of people who kind of took charge and just started yelling to calm down, just to get everybody out,” he said. “Once people realized that we were going to be OK, everybody kind of calmed down and just tried to get out of the plane to safety.”