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Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger Marks 7th Anniversary of 'Miracle On The Hudson'

(CBS SF) -- The pilot who smoothly ditched a disabled passenger jet in the frigid Hudson River in New York, saving all passengers and crew and becoming a national hero today marked the seventh anniversary of the "Miracle on the Hudson."

Danville resident Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger took to his Twitter page Friday to remark: "7 yrs later, w/ pride + hope, I still see good coming from the remarkable events of #Flight1549"

After US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese on January 15, 2009, Sullenberger and first officer Jeff Skiles guided the Airbus A320 into the waters off Manhattan. The plane remained afloat until nearby boats converged and successfully rescued all 155 people.

Chesley Sullenberger
Chelsey B. Sullenberger III participates as Grand Marshal in the 121st Annual Tournament of Roses parade, January 1, 2010 in Pasadena. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The flight crew's actions were recognized as heroic and a textbook example of safely executing an emergency ditching and evacuation with no lives lost.

Sullenberger became a national hero and a widely-cited aviation safety expert and consultant. He retired as an airline pilot in 2010 and is currently a CBS News Aviation and Safety Expert.

A movie about Flight 1549 is currently in production, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Sullenberger.

 


Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.

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