Sully Sullenberger announces early-stage Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the retired pilot celebrated for safely landing a disabled passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2009, announced Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

“It is early stage. For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey,” Sullenberger, 75, said in a statement posted on his website and social media. CBS News reported that his statement was first shared with People magazine.

Sullenberger said he decided to make the diagnosis public in the hope that others confronting Alzheimer’s will feel less alone. He said he wants “other families living in the shadows with this disease” to feel they can step forward.

“Though it may impact my memory of the past, this diagnosis will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future,” he said. “I will navigate this chapter with my wonderful family by my side.”

Alzheimer’s is a brain condition that gradually causes problems with memory and other skills. It is the most common cause of dementia, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and there is no cure. More than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Sullenberger became an international figure on Jan. 15, 2009, when he and his crew brought US Airways Flight 1549 down safely in the Hudson River after the aircraft lost thrust in both engines following a bird strike shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. There were 155 people on board. All survived.

The emergency unfolded in minutes. After determining that landing at an airport was not feasible, Sullenberger and his crew executed a water landing in the river, according to a cockpit voice recorder transcript cited by CBS News. Passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft and rescued by first responders.

The event became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson” and was later dramatized in the 2016 film “Sully,” directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Sullenberger.

Sullenberger retired in March 2010 after three decades as a professional pilot. In the years since, he has been a prominent advocate for aviation safety and previously served as an on-air expert for CBS News.

In announcing his diagnosis, Sullenberger drew a connection between the teamwork that helped save Flight 1549 and the collective resolve he said is needed to confront Alzheimer’s.

“Over the years, when people would ask about the successful outcome of Flight 1549, I would say that ‘courage can be contagious,’ and on that day it helped everyone band together to get everyone off that airplane successfully,” he said. “Now we need that courage to battle this disease. I am now part of a larger community with many of you, and we will be courageous together.”