Hero Pilot Sully Faces New Battle After Shocking Diagnosis

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the “Hero of the Hudson” who safely landed a US Airways flight in the Hudson River to save 155 passengers in 2009, has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s.

“I recently found out I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. It is early stage,” Sullenberger said in a statement.

“For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey,” he added.

The retired US Airways pilot was diagnosed by his doctor, Gil Rabinovici at California’s UCSF Medical Center.

Now, he and his family hope that by revealing his condition publicly, it gives others strength to face it themselves.

“I have spent my life in service, in the US Air Force, as a commercial airline pilot, an accident investigator, as the US Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization,” Sullenberger said.

“I have advocated for the safety of the traveling public for decades. And of course after the landing of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, I used the greater voice afforded to me by The Miracle on the Hudson to further aviation safety by speaking out on the many issues facing the industry.”

“I was proud to work with many colleagues, fighting for increased pilot training, more pilot rest, in favor of the two-pilot rule, on increased technology issues, and more.”

The hero pilot said he views the diagnosis as a new way to serve his country.

“So this new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up,” he added.

“It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward.”

Sullenberger said it was the “Miracle on the Hudson” that showed him and his family the power of hope, with the captain lamenting that while his memory might fade, he’ll carry on with courage. 

“Though it may impact my memory of the past, this diagnosis will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future,” he said. “I will navigate this chapter with my wonderful family by my side.” 

Sullenberger, who had been flying for US Airways since 1980 and had more than 20,000 hours of flight time, became a hero after his plane hit a flock of birds following takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. 

Flight 1549 lost both engines in the incident, forcing the seasoned pilot to make a successful emergency landing in the Hudson River. 

Despite the force of the landing, which cracked the plane’s fuselage, all passengers and crew members were safely rescued in the death-defying touchdown. 

Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg awarded Sullenberger with the Key to the City. His heroic exploits also got a nod from Hollywood in 2016’s “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.