Maryann Bruce knew her number wasn't up when Flight 1549 was ditched in the Hudson River.

The reason was simple: It was only No. 7 out of her allotted nine lives.

At48, the business executive, who lives in North Carolina, has alreadysurvived a tsunami in Hawaii, a plane trip through a hurricane off LongIsland, an earthquake in California and an avalanche while skiing inColorado.

She also worked in the twin towers during the 1993terrorist attack, and was midflight from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston on9/11, and watched the two buildings smolder from the jet's window.

"I thought, No. 7, here we go again," said Bruce, who only has a bruised left eye to show for her latest brush with death.

"Itnever dawned on me that I wasn't getting off that plane," she recalled."There was no turbulence. It was better than 80% of the landings I'vehad on land."

Bruce said her first few run-ins with death didn't come as any surprise.

A world traveler who used to log at least 100,000 air miles annually, she knew a few natural disasters would be inevitable.

ButBruce started counting her lucky lives after being evacuated from the1993 World Trade Center garage bombing, when it suddenly dawned on herthat she'd had more near-misses than most.

"That's when Istarted thinking, 'Hmmm ... this is kind of interesting,'" Bruce jokedfrom the Cornelius, N.C., home she shares with her husband and kids.

"I'm the woman with nine lives. I've only got two left now."

Some of Bruce's relatives tease her, saying they would rather not be near her when she's traveling.

She disagrees, and thinks her April Fool's Day birthday might have something to do with her good fortune.

"They think I'm a jinx, I think I'm a good luck charm," Bruce said.

Brucewas taken to a hospital in New Jersey after Thursday's crash and laterreleased to the care of her sister, who lives on Long Island.

She kept her hospital tags as a memento and flew back home Friday, having no qualms about stepping onto a plane again.

"I'mthe type that just figures you've got to get back on the horse," shesaid. "You never think it's going to happen again, you gotta live life,and I don't want to live life being afraid."