Hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger said he felt “the weight of the universe had been lifted off my heart” after his miracle landing in the Hudson saved the lives of all 155 people aboard Flight 1549.
“In many ways, as it turned out, my entire life up to that moment has been a preparation to handle that particular moment,” Sullenberger told Katie Couric on “60 Minutes.”
For most of the interview, the pilot barely cracked a smile as he matter-of-factly answered Couric’s questions about the landing.
The piece included a reunion between the entire crew and several passengers. Passenger John Helms showed his emotions, warmly greeting “Sully” with a hearty handshake.
“My brother was a firefighter killed at the trade center,” Helms said. “And the whole way down, I’m thinking my family’s not going to survive this.
“I can’t believe that everyone walked off that airplane. It’s a miracle. And I really thank you.”
Sullenberger, who has taught crews about emergency landings, assisted in accident investigations and is trained to fly gliders, admitted he could have never have been fully prepared for Jan. 15, when the US Airways jet left La Guardia for Charlotte, NC.
Just 2 1/2 minutes after takeoff and only a minute after bird strikes crippled the jetliner’s engines, Sullenberger realized he was too low to return to La Guardia or make an emergency landing at Teterboro.
“I knew immediately that this, unlike every other flight I’d had for 42 years, was probably not going to end with the airplane undamaged on a runway,” said the cool, calm aviator.
Despite long odds of bringing the Airbus A320 into the Hudson in one piece, Sullenberger said, “I was sure I could do it.”
Asked if he prayed during those harrowing moments, Sullenberger said, “I would imagine somebody in back was taking care of that for me while I was flying the airplane.
“I had to force myself to use my training and – and force calm on the situation.”
Once the plane landed safely, “I remember feeling the most intense feeling of relief that I ever felt in my life,” Sullenberger said. He then turned to his co-pilot and said, “Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
“And then we quickly began doing our duties,” Sully said. “He was running the evacuation checklist while I opened the door and commanded evacuate.”