C.B. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, the airline captain who safely landed an Airbus A320 on New York’s Hudson River in 2009, has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Sullenberger, 75, disclosed the diagnosis in a statement on his website and said he was getting treatment.
Sullenberger has been a vocal advocate for aviation safety since the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ flight, which saved all 155 people on board. He became an international celebrity and was played by actor Tom Hanks in the 2016 film ‘Sully,’ directed by Clint Eastwood.
Aviation Safety Advocacy
In 2022, Sullenberger briefly served as the U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization based in Montreal. Before he left, he raised concerns about attempts by regional airlines to reduce pilot requirements that he warned would weaken safety.
Sullenberger has also testified before the U.S. Congress in support of requiring pilots to get new simulator training before Boeing 737 MAX flights could resume following two fatal crashes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in 2024 that an estimated 6.9 million Americans age 65 and older had Alzheimer’s, and it was the sixth-leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and older.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
