'Miracle on the Hudson' marks 15 years: Check out FOX 5 news coverage from 2009
NEW YORK CITY - Monday marks 15 years since the "Miracle on the Hudson."
Back on Jan. 15, 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger managed to land U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, near 42nd St., after losing engine power when the plane hit a flock of geese.
Rescue boats float next to a US Airways plane floating in the water after crashing into the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Sullenberger's actions, along with those of the Coast Guard, the FDNY, and over a dozen ferries, saved the lives of all 155 people onboard. The incredible event turned Sullenberger into a national hero and inspired the 2016 biographical drama film "Sully," starring Tom Hanks as Sullenberger.
What is the 'Miracle on the Hudson'?
Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15, 2009, with Sullenberger's co-pilot, Jeffrey Skiles, at the controls, three flight attendants and 150 passengers aboard. It was cold, only around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but the skies were clear.
Less than a minute later, the plane and birds collided at 3,000 feet. Both engines stopped. Sullenberger took the controls and told air traffic controllers he couldn't make it back to LaGuardia. His choices were a small airport for private aircraft in New Jersey — possibly too far — or the river. Sullenberger picked the water.
At 3:31 p.m., the plane splashed down, somehow stayed in one piece and began floating fast toward the harbor. Passengers got out on the wings and inflatable rafts as commuter ferries raced to the rescue.
One flight attendant and four passengers were hurt, but everyone else was mostly fine.
Where is the plane now?
The Airbus A320 that Sullenberger managed to land is on display at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in North Carolina. The museum, formerly known as the Carolinas Aviation Museum, was renamed in Sullenberger's honor in 2022.
Where is Sullenberger now?
Sullenberger now lives in Northern California and is no longer a pilot, but works as a public speaker and air safety expert.