America 250: Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger
Chesley 鈥楽ully鈥� Sullenberger, former Air Force fighter pilot and US Airways captain, became a hero in 2009 after safely landing Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, saving all 155 aboard in the 鈥楳iracle on the Hudson.鈥�
Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger is a former U.S. Air Force officer and commercial airline pilot. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he served as a fighter pilot, flight leader, and training officer. After leaving active duty in 1980, he became an airline pilot with Pacific Southwest Airlines, later part of US Airways. On January 15, 2009, Sullenberger safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a bird strike caused both engines to lose thrust. All 155 people on board survived, in what became known as the 'Miracle on the Hudson.' In 2021, he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a role he held until 2022.