Category: In The News

When a US Airways jet suddenly plunged from the sky and toward the icy Hudson River 10 years ago, Eric Stevenson thought about his mother, his sister, his friends and he wrote them a goodbye note.

Stevenson was one of 153 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, 2009, when the North Carolina-bound Airbus A320 struck a flock of geese, its engines erupted into flames and the jet began falling.

Panic ensued and the passengers braced for impact.

“As we were going down, people around me were pulling out their cell phones and trying to call their loved ones … they were leaving their last messages,” Stevenson told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “My cell phone was up in the bin overhead. And so, as we were going down, I’m thinking, ‘Well, these are the last seconds.’”

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Everybody worked together, so everybody survived. This was the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, landed in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, and he feels we are due for another lesson.

“This lack of civic virtue, this lack of remembering our common humanity, this lack of citizenship, is greatly harmful to our nation, to our democracy, to the world,” Captain Sullenberger, 67, said in an interview.

He added, “I feel that I have yet another mission, to be an advocate for our democracy, be a defender of our democracy, as many others have done.”

As for that flight, he said: “I have even greater appreciation now for what everyone did who pulled together. Especially in light of what’s happening in our nation now.”

The retired pilot known as Sully talked a little more with us about planes and politics:

Michael Bloomberg was mayor the day you landed in the Hudson. He and others may run for president.

I think like many of our fellow countrymen, like many Americans, I think I’m going to wait and see what all our options are.

Sounds like  you are running for vice president.

No. First of all, it’s a great honor to be thought of that way by others, by some. But my way of answering that is that I run — in fact, I ran this morning — but I’m not running.

Anything you want people to remember about this flight?

I want to re-emphasize that this is the result, the successful flight was the result of the efforts of many: my crew, the passengers themselves who were cooperative especially in the evacuation, the rescuers, all the first responders of New York and New Jersey. I can’t say enough about the support of my family. And my wife, Lorrie, has been the best partner in all of this.

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On the 10 year anniversary of his miracle landing, the famed pilot reflects on what became an entirely new life.

On January 15, 2009, former Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger courageously landed a US Airways plane on Manhattan’s Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 people on board. He was immediately hailed a national hero: Former New York Gov. David Paterson called it “a miracle on the Hudson;” Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama thanked him for his courage, and he was honored at the 2009 Super Bowl. When he sat for his first television interview with Katie Couric talking about the “loud thumps” caused by Canadian geese hitting the plane, the pilot sounded calm, confident.

But at home, he suffered.

Although never officially diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Sullenberger says it was “obvious” he had it. In the weeks following the landing, his blood pressure hovered around 160/100. For months, he couldn’t sleep. Reading the newspaper was a strenuous task—words blurred together. “I couldn’t shut my brain off,” Sullenberger tells Esquire. “I was constantly re-living, second guessing, what if-ing.”

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Whenever Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger sees the Hudson River and the skyline of Manhattan, he says his thoughts rewind to the bitterly cold day of Jan. 15, 2009, when he and co-pilot Jeff Skiles saved themselves and 153 passengers and crew members by pulling off one of the most miraculous emergency landings in the history of U.S. commercial aviation.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, airing on the 10th anniversary of the Hudson River splash landing of US Airlines Flight 1549, Sullenberger, now retired and 67, said the success of the life-saving feat required the heroic actions of more than just him and Skiles.

Watch “Good Morning America” Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 7 a.m. ET for Amy Robach’s exclusive interview with Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.

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A decade after successfully landing a crippled US Airways jet on an icy slice of the Hudson River straddling New York and New Jersey, Capt. Chesley Sullenberger tells ABC News of the mementos he keeps from his most famous flight, what it was like to be portrayed on the silver screen by actor Tom Hanks and if he ever plans to go into politics.

Jan. 15, at 7 a.m. ET for Amy Robach’s exclusive interview with Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.

On the 10th anniversary of what former New York Gov. David Paterson dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson,” the pilot America came to know by his nickname “Sully” answers 10 questions

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By Chesley B. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger IIIOctober 29, 2018

Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger is a safety expert, author and speaker on leadership and culture.

Nearly 10 years ago, I led 154 people to safety as the captain of US Airways Flight 1549, which suffered bird strikes, lost thrust in the engines and was forced to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River. Some called it “the Miracle on the Hudson.” But it was not a miracle. It was, in microcosm, an example of what is needed in emergencies — including the current national crisis — and what is possible when we serve a cause greater than ourselves.

On our famous flight, I witnessed the best in people who rose to the occasion. Passengers and crew worked together to help evacuate an elderly passenger and a mother with a 9-month-old child. New York Waterway took the initiative to radio their vessels to head toward us when they saw us approaching. This successful landing, in short, was the result of good judgment, experience, skill — and the efforts of many.

But as captain, I ultimately was responsible for everything that happened. Had even one person not survived, I would have considered it a tragic failure that I would have felt deeply for the rest of my life. To navigate complex challenges, all leaders must take responsibility and have a moral compass grounded in competence, integrity and concern for the greater good.

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In an extreme life-or-death situation, would you be able to hold your nerve? Candice Pires speaks to the people whose job it is to make snap decisions in disaster situations

by: Candice Pires

 

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