Miracle on the Hudson pilot Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, 75, announces Alzheimer’s diagnosis 17 years after saving 155 lives by ditching plane in NYC river
Miracle on the Hudson pilot Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The 75-year-old announced Tuesday that he had recently been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s, a heartbreaking disease that slowly destroys memory and cognitive functions.
Sullenberger shared that he and his wife of 37 years, Lorrie, remained positive despite the diagnosis.
‘Lorrie and I often said we won the baby lottery with our two daughters. And we learned that what people say is actually true: Grandchildren are game changers. “Our grandson brings a whole new meaning to life,” he said.
‘However, I recently learned that I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It is early stage.
‘For now, this means that a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I told recently, or I don’t get much sleep, but I’m at the beginning of this long journey.’
He said his memory would be affected by his illness, but ‘the diagnosis will not stop me from looking forward to and appreciating our future.’
Sullenberger was hailed as a hero in 2009 after landing a damaged plane following a bird strike into the Hudson River in New York City.
75-year-old Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease
In 2009, Sullenberger crash-landed a damaged plane into the Hudson River in New York City after encountering double engine failure after hitting a flock of geese after taking off from LaGuardia Airport.
“I will get through this chapter with my wonderful family by my side,” she said, sharing that Lorrie asks others to show them hope in this time of need.
“Over the years, when people would ask about the successful outcome of Flight 1549, I would say ‘courage can be contagious’ and that day it helped everyone come together and get everyone off the plane successfully,” he added.
‘We need this courage to fight this disease now. ‘I am now part of a larger community with many of you, and we will be brave together.’
According to statistics published by the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s Disease.
The disease was also the fifth leading cause of death among people over 65 in 2024.
In his statement, Sullenberger emphasized that he now uses the “bigger voice that the Miracle on the Hudson gave me” to speak about the global impact of Alzheimer’s.
‘My doctor from UCSF Medical Center, Dr. “It opened my eyes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease,” Gil Rabinovici wrote.
‘He told me that this disease does not discriminate between any age group and affects millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door.’
He added: ‘So this new phase of my life has challenged what it means to serve. And the answer is to talk. I hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadow of this disease will feel that they can take a step.’
Sully was under the yoke of US Airways Flight 1549 when it suffered double engine failure after colliding with a flock of geese after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport on January 15, 2009.
All 155 people on board the plane, which crashed into the Hudson River in what has since been dubbed the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’, survived.
Tom Hanks played Sully in the 2016 self-titled movie about flight, directed by Clint Eastwood.
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