Chesley Burnett " Sully " Sullenberger III ( born January 23 , 1951 ) is an American retired airline captain who , on January 15 , 2009 , landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan after both engines were disabled by a bird strike ; all 155 people aboard survived . Sullenberger is a speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety . He served as the co-chairman , along with First officer Jeffrey Skiles , of the EAA 's Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
Chesley Sullenberger