So we have a plane landing on the Hudson River today. Best pilot ever! I mean it!
That said, this reminds me of a book I recently read, "The Arrivals", by Naomi Gladish, which also begins with a plane crash. The difference is that this book discusses a Plane Crash from the point of view of what occurs after death.
One of the concepts in this book is that it is not always easy to tell that you are dead. There are other books that also suggest this, including "The American Book of the Dead", by E. J. Gold, and "What Dreams May Come", by Richard Matheson.
All I suggest here is an open mind, though not so open that your brain falls out.