Pilot was 'the right guy at the right time'

NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES — It was just a few minutes after takeoff. The voice that came over the intercom was urgent but calm.

"Brace for impact," Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, 57, told the 150 passengers of US Airways Flight 1549.

A veteran commercial pilot who flew fighter jets for the Air Force, Sullenberger pulled off a feat Thursday that drew grateful kudos from high-ranking government officials and the passengers aboard the Airbus A320: safely bringing his plane down onto the icy, 65-foot-deep waters of the Hudson River.

By all early accounts, Sullenberger's deft maneuvering helped turn a potentially catastrophic situation into one remarkable for its lack of casualties.

After setting the aircraft down in one piece, the captain made two passes up and down the aisle to ensure that all of the passengers were off, then allowed rescuers to pluck him off the sinking plane.

Aviation experts said they could not recall another successful controlled water landing by a commercial airliner in the U.S.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg dubbed the captain's work "masterful."

New York Gov. David A. Paterson proclaimed Sullenberger heroic and called the incident "a miracle on the Hudson," a moniker immediately taken up by the media.

"Thank the Lord and thank the pilot," passenger Alberto Panero told CNN. "I can't believe he somehow managed to land that plane safely."

It would be difficult to find a pilot who had better credentials to handle the unusual emergency that faced Flight 1549, which apparently hit a flock of Canada geese shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Sullenberger, who lives in Danville, Calif., has more than 40 years of flying experience, the last 29 as a captain with US Airways.

He has served as a local safety chairman and accident investigator for the Air Line Pilots Assn., International, according to his resume.

He also is a certified glider pilot, CNN reported, which may have helped him bring the Airbus down gently onto the river.

Before his work as a commercial pilot, Sullenberger had a short but distinguished military career.

He flew an F-4 fighter, a Vietnam-era jet that is notoriously difficult to handle compared with modern aircraft. He was also a mission commander for Red Flag combat training exercises, a coveted position usually assigned to the top pilots.

"He is the consummate pilot," his wife, Lorraine, told the New York Post.