On January 15 , 2009 , US Airways pilots Captain Chesley " Sully " Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles board US Airways Flight 1549 from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport . Three minutes into the flight , at an approximate altitude of 2,800 feet ( approx. 850 m ) , the Airbus A320 strikes a flock of birds , disabling both engines . Without engine power and judging themselves unable to reach nearby airports ( Teterboro Airport being the closest ) , Sully ditches the aircraft on the Hudson River . The crew and passengers evacuate without any fatalities . The press and public hail Sullenburger a hero , but the incident leaves him haunted , and experiencing a dream in which the plane crashes into a building
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
Sully (film)