US Airways plane comes to rest in the water near Battery Park after crashing into the Hudson River in the afternoon on January 15, 2009 near the Battery Park neighborhood in New York City. A free computer game went online Friday that challenges players to become the next "Hero on the Hudson" by safely landing a virtual passenger jet on the New York City waterway.

A free computer game went online Friday that challenges players to become the next "Hero on the Hudson" by safely landing a virtual passenger jet on the New York City waterway.

The streamed game warns players that both jet engines are disabled, it is impossible to make it to an airport, and they must crash land in the Hudson River in a virtual version of the US Airways miracle landing on January 15.

"The fate of the passengers in your hands," reads an introductory page of the game available online at tastyplay.com.

Players then use left and right arrow keys to keep an animated jet parallel to the surface of the faux river as it makes an emergency descent with dark smoke billowing from its engines.

Level landings are reward with a banner proclaiming the player a hero as tiny figures representing passengers file onto the wings. Sloppy landings are met with the sight and sound of a sinking jet.

The pilot of the US Airways jet that crash landed in icy waters off New York in real life was hailed as a hero for coolly saving 155 passengers and crew.

The former fighter pilot was lauded for smoothly landing the jet belly-first onto the Hudson River.

The soft landing allowed passengers to safely escape from the stricken craft.

© 2009 AFP