Overview
- Sullenberger shared a Facebook reflection outlining lessons from Flight 1549, emphasizing training, clear decision-making, shared standards, and the enduring bonds formed after the event.
- US Airways Flight 1549 lost thrust in both engines after striking geese shortly after departing LaGuardia, and Sullenberger told controllers the jet could not return, saying, “We can’t do it… We’re gonna be in the Hudson.”
- The Airbus A320 ditched around 3:30 p.m., passengers evacuated onto the wings, rescue boats arrived by 3:35 p.m., and all 155 aboard survived with four reported injuries.
- The recovered aircraft has been displayed in Charlotte since 2011, and the Carolinas Aviation Museum was renamed the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in 2024.
- Since retiring in 2010, Sullenberger has become a prominent aviation-safety speaker, served as U.S. ambassador to ICAO in 2021–22, continues to fly privately, lives in San Francisco, and welcomed his first grandchild in 2024.