Personal effects returned from Flight 1549 May 28, 2009

The passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 were lucky to walk off the plane alive on Jan. 15 after it crashed into the Hudson.

Receiving some of the items they boarded with was an added bonus.

The passengers have been receiving some items the abandoned on the sinking plane through the mail recently, as US Airways hired a recovery and restoration firm to salvage anything possible.

From boarding passes to books to briefcases to running shoes, the passengers quoted in this CNN article said the items are in near-perfect condition (minus any permanent water damage). Words in books and documents are still legible, and submerged flash drives still work.

Photo courtesy CNN.