Hudson River Pilot: I Was Terrified While Landing

Captain Sullenberger has enjoyed the national hero status ever since he landed the Airbus on the Hudson River.

Captain Chesley Sullenberger was described as icy cold just moments before he landed the US Airways Airbus A320 on the Hudson River, but in fact he was terrified, the captain said in his first longer interview after the incident on January 15.

- I can’t believe this is happening. I had this expectation that my career would be one in which I didn’t crash an airplane - captain Sullenberger said on CBS` “60 Minutes”.

Hudson River Challenge

He heard the birds hitting the engine, he knew the plane was in danger.  He heard “loud thumps… It felt like the airplane being pelted by heavy rain or hail”.

- Losing thrust on both engines, at a low speed, at a low altitude, over one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. Yes, I knew it was a very challenging situation – the pilot explained.

He soon dismissed the option of returning to La Guardia Airport or reaching the New Jersey Airport. He ended his comm. with the controls tower by saying: “We`ll be in the Hudson river”.

Everything happened simultaneously

He told CBS that he was so concentrated that he did not even say a prayer.

- I would imagine somebody in back was taking care of that for me while I was flying the airplane – Sullenberge said.

Landing on water must be performed perfectly, the pilot said.

- I needed to touch down with the wings exactly level. I needed to touch down with the nose slightly up. I needed to touch down at a — at a descent rate that was survivable. And I needed to touch down just above our minimum flying speed, but not below it. And I needed to make all these things happen simultaneously – he elaborated.

When the plane landed, he told his first officer: “Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought”.

Honourable guest at Barack Obama`s inauguration

The passengers were evacuated and later on, after head counts, Sullenberg was informed that all 155 passengers and crew members survived.

- I felt like the weight of the universe had been lifted off my heart – he said.

Landing a plane on water without any casualties is considered one of the greatest ventures in commercial flights, therefore it is no wonder that captain Sullenberger has the status of a national hero in the States. He was the guest of honour, with his family, at the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama in Washington, and at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida on February 3, where he greeted over 70,000 audience members.