Airline pilot hero Sully may become ICAO US ambassador

Airline pilot hero may become ICAO US ambassador
President Biden and Sully

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled his picks for several high-profile ambassadorial postings. Included in this illustrious list is aviation hero “Sully” Sullenberger.

  1. Sully is the US Airways pilot that conducted the safe landing of badly-damaged Airbus A320-214 on New York’s Hudson River.
  2. Just 2 minutes into the flight, the airplane flew into a flock of Canada geese, and both engines were so damaged that it caused an almost complete loss of thrust.
  3. With credentials and sound thinking like this, Sully should be a shoe-in to serve on the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Retired airline pilot C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger, most famous for negotiating this emergency landing with no fatalities, has been named to serve as U.S. representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

US Airways flight 1549, also called Miracle on the Hudson, was a flight of a passenger airliner that made an emergency landing in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Five people were seriously injured, but there were no fatalities.

The airplane, an Airbus A320 operated by US Airways, took off from LaGuardia at approximately 3:25 PM. It was destined for Charlotte, North Carolina. On board were 5 crew members, including Capt. Chesley (“Sully”) Sullenberger III, and 150 passengers. About 2 minutes into the flight, the airplane flew into a flock of Canada geese. Both engines were severely damaged, causing an almost complete loss of thrust. Repeated attempts to restart the engines were unsuccessful.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor

Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor

Linda Hohnholz has been writing and editing articles since the start of her working career. She has applied this innate passion to such places as Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University, the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center, and now TravelNewsGroup.

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