Chesley Sullenberger and downed US Airways Flight 1549, in New York's Hudson River
Janis Krums/AP; inset: REUTERS/Landov
Thursday evening, Sullenberger, 57, entered the annals of flight lore himself when he safely helmed disabled US Airways Flight 1549, with 155 passengers and crew aboard, to a smooth and safe landing in the middle of New York City's icy Hudson River.
There were no fatalities in the narrowly averted disaster, which Sullenberger – "Sully" to his friends – reportedly told air traffic controllers was caused by birds flying into the jetliner's two engines.
"If there's ever been a miracle, this is a miracle," flight instructor Gregory Keshishian told AM New York newspaper. "For him to ... put the plane down apparently perfectly takes a great amount of skill and judgement."
Hailed as 'Masterful'
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hailed Sullenberger's "masterful" handling of the downed Airbus A320, which he ditched in the Hudson minutes after takeoff – and managed to steer clear of crowded Manhattan.Bloomberg said the silver-haired pilot then walked through the rapidly-flooding cabin twice to make sure all passengers and crew had evacuated before leaving the plane himself.
A former Air Force fighter pilot and 29-year veteran of US Airways, Sullenberger is an expert in airplane safety. He lives in Danville, Calif., with his wife Lorrie, who told CNN she heard about the crash on TV but didn't realize her husband was in the cockpit.
"When he called me, he said, 'There's been an accident,'" said Lorrie, a fitness expert. "At first I thought it was something minor. But then he told me the circumstances, and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school."
"We're really proud of him," the couple's daughter Kate told New York's Daily News.
