Nice plane, and only crashed once

Wired has an article by John Abell about the sale of a historical object:

For sale: Jet plane, slightly used. One previous owner. No longer air- (or sea-) worthy, but a unique artifact in annals of modern aviation history. Last flight a mere 23 minutes. Last pilot a national hero. Provenance indisputable.

That isn’t exactly the listing but it might as well be. The US Airways Airbus 320 that Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger landed in the Hudson River a year ago is for sale. The insurance company that took possession of it after paying off the policy is looking to unload it.
The auction (“As Is/Where Is (New Jersey)”, Chartis Insurance Group is compelled to disclose) does not include the airliner’s engines or avionics, and the lot is somewhat in pieces. But apart from that it seems to be surprisingly intact for a craft that hit the water at a normal touchdown speed with ad hoc landing gear comprising the entire fuselage and wings; which, by the way supported all 155 people aboard as they safely deplaned and awaited rescue craft on the frigid Hudson.
The offering page is remarkably bland, not even considering the high drama surrounding the most famous water landing ever. Under the formal description of the accident, it says: “Aircraft suffered severe bird strike event resulting in water emergency landing.” The description of the damage is simple: “Severe water damage throughout airframe. Impact damage to underside of aircraft.”
The craft itself is described as 1999 Airbus A320-214 and nowhere on the page is even the most oblique mention of the significance of this particular piece of aviation salvage.
Of course, this sort of salesmanship may mute objections that Chartis should profit even from what was the happily ended tragedy of flight 1549. The company most likely will not recoup its payout (well, not with this kind of low-pressure pitch) and has a fiduciary responsibility to mitigate the loss it incurred from paying US Airways for its loss.
For the record, no reserve is listed, and bids will be accepted through 27 March. Chances are nobody will get this bird for a song, but if you are the winning bidder you have a month to move it before they start collecting rent.
And, guys, if you’re really serious about selling this plane, we have only one word for you: eBay.