'Miracle on the Hudson' Pilot Calls Decision “Difficult”

Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III, the pilot who safely landed a US Airways Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after the aircraft was damaged by multiple bird-strikes, is stepping down from his position as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Sullenberger was confirmed to the ICAO ambassadorship in December, 2021 and presented his credentials to ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar Gómez in February, 2022. He gave no reason for stepping down from the post, but Sullenberger said in a statement that the decision to do so had been a difficult one.

The announcement came a month after Sullenberger raised concerns that attempts by regional airlines to reduce pilot experience requirements would undermine recent Congressional efforts to bolster aviation safety.

Sullenberger, who’s remained a vocal proponent of both aerospace safety initiatives and the Biden Whitehouse, asserted his departure from ICAO would not curtail his determination to advocate for the safety of the flying public.

“I am deeply committed to aviation safety and security—to the safety and wellbeing of all who fly,” Sullenberger said, adding this commitment predated the 2009 Miracle flight.

In 2019, Sullenberger testified before Congress in support of prolonging the FAA’s emergency grounding of the 737 MAX fleet until such a time that pilots operating the airplane received type-specific simulator training.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Sullenberger’s “indisputable credibility on aviation safety and security matters reinforced American leadership on those issues and strengthened our nation’s partnerships across the globe.”

Sullenberger’s opinions and his propensity to express them extend beyond airplanes and their operation. Since his 2010 retirement from US Airways, Captain Cool—a soubriquet bestowed on Sullenberger by a former, New York City mayor—has delivered outspoken commentary on such disparate and eyebrow-raising topics as: the FAA’s overly-cozy relationship with certain air-framers, the moral compasses of political candidates, suicide, and infertility.

From his days as a U.S. Air Force Academy cadet to his appointment to the ICAO ambassadorship, Sullenberger’s life has been characterized by noble aspiration and laudable accomplishment. The clarity of purpose and surety of action that saved the 155 lives aboard US Air Flight 1549 will serve as both example and inspiration to generations of aviators and non-aviators alike.

FMI: www.icao.int