Capt Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III – the pilot known for safely landing a US Airways flight in New York City’s Hudson River during a 2009 emergency – has been inducted into the US’s National Aviation Hall of Fame, two months after he went public with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Sullenberger, 75, received the honor during a ceremony held in Washington DC on Thursday, 17 years after he engineered what has become widely known as the Miracle on the Hudson. His actions that day – which saved more than 150 lives – set the stage for him to be inducted alongside the six-member 2026 hall of fame class, including Nasa astronauts and aviation researchers.
Sullenberger participated in the ceremony remotely by video, saying: “I want to congratulate the other [inductees] on lifetimes of accomplishments. And I thank you for the honor of enshrinement in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.” During his remarks, he recognized that the dramatic events of 2009 – which were eventually the basis of a Tom Hanks movie – played a major role in his enshrinement. But he made it a point to say: “My career was much more than one flight.
That was the beginning of a lifetime following that dream. I was so fortunate to spend an entire working lifetime doing something I loved.” A former member of the US air force, Sullenberger was piloting US Airways Flight 1549 on 15 January 2009. The aircraft had departed New York City’s LaGuardia airport en route to Charlotte, North Carolina, carrying 150 passengers and five crew members.
Not long after takeoff, the aircraft struck a flock of birds, resulting in a total loss of thrust from both engines. Sullenberger ultimately realized that the plane would not be able to make it back to LaGuardia – so he instead landed the aircraft in the Hudson River. Sullenberger in July disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which had given him another way to think about public service.
It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward.” Speaking in an interview on Wednesday with the ABC program Good Morning America, Sullenberger described his reaction to learning of the diagnosis. He said he experienced “all those emotions, the shock, the anger, why me?” “We’re part of this community who are trying to make the best of a bad situation.” Figures from the Alzheimer’s Association indicate that about 7.4 million people who are age 65 or older are living with clinical Alzheimer’s dementia. Roughly three out of four are 75 or older.
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