Miracle On The Hudson

NEW YORK (CBS) ― The pilot who guided a crippled US Airways jetliner safely into the Hudson River - saving all 155 people aboard - became an instant hero Friday, with accolades from the mayor and governor and a fan club online.

The pilot of Flight 1549 was Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, 57, of Danville, Calif., an official familiar with the accident told The Associated Press. Sullenberger is a former fighter pilot who runs a safety consulting firm in addition to flying commercial aircraft.

At City Hall in New York City on Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg extended his praise of Sullenberger even further, saying he would present the 'Hero of the Hudson' with a key to the city.

Because of the investigation, the pilot who is now known throughout the world cannot discuss Thursday's events with the media and the public.

Sullenberger, who has flown for US Airways since 1980, flew F-4 fighter jets with the Air Force in the 1970s. He then served on a board that investigated aircraft accidents and participated later in several National Transportation Safety Board investigations.

Passenger David Sanderson told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric the pilots deserve all the credit for saving the passengers.

"When I was watching how it was coming down, there was no way he could have landed on the ground," Sanderson said from his New Jersey hospital bed. "He did the right thing, so I give him all the credit. It was pretty much controlled chaos on the plane."

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr said the incident "has all the earmarks of being a real heroic job by the pilots."

"You have to understand you have compromised engines, or no engines, no altitude, no speed and no room," he said "If you look at the Hudson River, down on a boat, it looks pretty wide. When you're in the air and you see it, it's a very closed area and you have hit that ribbon of water."

When he's not flying planes, Sullenberger is president of Safety Reliability Methods, a California firm that uses "the ultra-safe world of commercial aviation" as a base for safety consulting in other fields, according to the firm's Web site.

Sullenberger's mailbox at the firm was full on Thursday. A group of fans sprang up on Facebook within hours of the emergency landing.

"OMG, I am terrified of flying but I would be happy to be a passenger on one of your aircraft!!" Melanie Wills in Bristol wrote on the wall of "Fans of Sully Sullenberger." "You have saved a lot of people's lives and are a true hero!!"

The pilot "did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river and then making sure that everybody got out," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "He walked the plane twice after everybody else was off, and tried to verify that there was nobody else on board, and he assures us there was not."

"He was the last one up the aisle and he made sure that there was nobody behind him."

Gov. David Paterson pronounced it a "miracle on the Hudson."

Sullenberger's co-pilot was Jeff Skiles, 49, of Oregon, Wis., a 23-year US Airways veteran.

"He was OK," said his wife, Barbara. "He was relieved that everybody got off."

She said she and her husband couldn't remember an accident as serious as this in his career.


Witnesses shared what they saw with CBS 2 HD:

"It was just going down further and further and further and then all of a sudden it was gone," witness Peter Chinchino told CBS 2. "I'm shaking, it was crazy. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was nothing wrong with the plane, it wasn't wobbling, there was no smoke coming out of it!"

Rescuers were able to evacuate every passenger from the plane, though many reportedly suffered various injuries. One passenger said he saw a woman who he thought may have lost her leg in the crash.

The passengers were taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, and Weehawken Hospital for treatment.

The flight was in air for about three minutes before it went down. It had reached a maximum altitude of 3,200 feet before it began descending and he last reported air speed was 172 mph. It went down around 46th Street in Manhattan before the fuselage came to a rest around 23rd Street.

The plane is currently tied off at a pier in Battery Park City. The NTSB is assembling a team of 20 to go over every square inch of the plane.

Experts say the pilots conducted a very controlled emergency landing after the engines went out, likely why the plane was able to remain upright as it landed and remained one piece.

"You have compromised engines, you don't have much altitude, you don't have much speed…it looks like a remarkable effort," said CBS News Analyst Bob Orr.

"The pilot deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). "They did an amazing and miraculous job."

Passengers could be seen standing on the wing of the plane and entering rescue boats and a rescue ferry almost immediately after it crashed. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and Port Authority officers responded to the scene. Two crews of divers were also sent to the scene, and it's believed the most urgent part of the rescue operation was over by 4:20 p.m.

Passengers were being treated for hypothermia and shock, according to CBS 2's Marcia Kramer.

According to Kramer, survivors told her that about two minutes after takeoff, a loud "boom" was heard and the plane began descending. She reported seeing a flight attendant being taken away on a stretcher, though she said it appeared that was among the more serious injuries.

Winds likely were not a factor in the crash. "Winds were blowing at about 15 miles per hour, which wouldn't affect a plane of this size," said CBS 2's Lonnie Quinn.

The plane eventually came to a rest in the water by the USS Intrepid, before drifting south on the Hudson and stopping at Battery Park, by Ground Zero, ironically.

Temperatures at the time of the crash in the city were just about 20 degrees, with the water temperature about 40 degrees. According to Dr. Max Gomez, a person in 40 degree water will likely lose consciousness after 30 minutes.

(CBS)

• Go! New York For A Healthy Lifestyle
• Got Wit? Play CBS 2's Caption Game!
• 20 Questions
• Celebrities On Twitter
• Celebrity Real Names Revealed
• When It Was Out To Be Out
• Hilarious Movie Blunders
• World's Coolest Fighter Jets