The pilot who performed “The Miracle on the Hudson,” one of the most memorable moments New York City in history, improvised the maneuver.
Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who saved 155 lives in the Hudson River after landing US Airways flight 1549 successfully on January 15, 2009 said that landing on water is “not something we have specifically trained for.”
In an interview shared by Fox News Digital with the American Veterans Center, Sullenberger stated that “the only training we received for a water landing consisted of a classroom discussion.”
He said that the best explanation was that for 42 years, he had made small, regular deposits into a bank of experience, education and training. “On January 15, 2009, I had enough money to make a large withdrawal.”
AIRLINE DRAMAS’ HERO PILOT STILL COMMANDS PILOT ATTENTION 15 YEARS SINCE MIRACLE ON HUDSON AIRLINE DRAMAS
Rescue workers assist US Airways’ plane in the Hudson River after it crashed into the river in the afternoon of Jan. 15, 2009. This happened in New York City. Airbus 320 Flight 1549 crashed just after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, heading towards Charlotte, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
After taking off from LaGuardia Airport, the plane hit a flock a geese and lost power in both of its engines.
Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles, a veteran of the Air Force, immediately called in a Mayday as the plane rapidly lost altitude.
SURVIVORS OF THE CRASH TALK ABOUT THEIR LIFE’S IMPACT
The voice of the dispatcher said: “I believe he said that he was going to land on the Hudson.”
Flight 1549 glided into the Hudson River without a ripple. The videos and photos of passengers on the wings still remain as unforgettable today as they did 15 years ago during rush hour.
WATCH : CAPTAIN ‘SULLY’ SPEAKS AROUND JAN. 15, 2009.
Captain Chesley B. Captain Chesley B.
Within minutes, three waterway ferries rescued passengers from the plane.
The FDNY, NYPD and other agencies responded quickly.
JANUARY 15TH, 2009, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT MAKES MAGICAL LANDING IN HUDSON RIVER
George Clooney, the narrator of the 6.5-minute American Veterans Center video recap, said: “Soon all of New York City and New Jersey seemed to be rushing into the middle of Hudson.”
In a tweet of tribute, the American Veterans Center said: “It was an event that gave Americans hope and captured the nation.”
The 155 passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 sat on the wings as Captain “Sully”, the pilot, safely landed the plane in the Hudson River Jan. 15, 2009
After the incredible scene, “Sully”, an American folk hero was born.
Many people were traumatized by 9/11 when they saw a low-flying aircraft heading towards Manhattan.
Katie Couric, former NBC newscaster, noted that the housing crisis, recession, and the continuing divide over the war against terror were also present at the Paley Center for media in Midtown Manhattan last week.
The Paley Center for Media, located in New York City, hosted a panel on January 11, 2024 to recount the “Miracle on the Hudson” of January 15, 2009. Captain “Sully Sullenberger” ditched his plane in the Hudson River when US Airways Flight 1549’s engines lost power. All 155 passengers and crew members survived. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital).
Couric, a broadcaster and a viewer, scrambled to find answers. One correspondent called the scene a “picture in search of a tale.”
Couric stated, “We received some video footage of a plane flying over the Hudson River.” “We were thinking, ‘What the hell is happening?’ We wondered, ‘Is it a film being made? A disaster film? We couldn’t make sense of it.”
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Sullenberger, Skiles and others have been working together since then to improve the aviation sector. This includes improvements in airline safety, and a new rule requiring pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of flight experience before they are allowed to fly commercial airlines.