USA: Hero pilot Chesney Sullenberger receives standing ovation on Capitol Hill as he warns about airplane safety

Record ID: 245157

  • Title: USA: Hero pilot Chesney Sullenberger receives standing ovation on Capitol Hill as he warns about airplane safety
  • Date: 25th February 2009
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 24, 2009) (UNRESTRICTED POOL-ACCESS ALL) PAN OF CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE GIVING STANDING OVATION TIGHT SHOT OF PILOT CHESLEY "SULLY" SULLENBERGER
  • Embargoed: 12th March 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA2AB5BUAZUM294LJJ450SK8OTU
  • Story Text: Pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a distressed US Airways jetliner on the Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board, appeared before a House panel warning about air safety.
    A standing ovation on Capitol Hill. Pilot Chesley "Sully"
    Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a distressed US Airways jetliner on the Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board, appeared before a House panel looking into air safety.
    Sullenberger made a dramatic rescue in January when his plane lost power in both engines when it struck a flock of birds shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia airport.
    The 57-year-old Sullenberger, a former U.S. Air Force pilot and air safety consultant, steered the crippled jetliner over the densely populated city and brought it down on the river, warning passengers to "brace for impact."

    "The events of January 15 serve as a reminder to us all of the daily devotion to duty of the many thousands of aviation professionals who keep air travel safe, and also as a reminder of what is really at stake," he said.
    On Capitol Hill it was a different story he had to tell -- one about the future.

    "While I love my profession, I do not like what has happened to it. I would not be doing my duty if I did not report to you that I am deeply worried about its future," Sullenberger said.
    Sullenberger told the House Aviation subcommittee that the airline industry has been in a downturn for the past eight years. He said like many of his colleagues, his income has been cut by 40 percent and his pensions has been replaced by guarantees worth pennies on the dollar.

    "We must not let the economic and financial pressures detract from a focus on constantly improving our safety measures and engaging in ongoing and comprehensive training. In aviation, the bottom line is that the single most important piece of safety equipment is an experienced, well-trained pilot," he said.
    On February 12, forty-nine people were killed when a passenger plane crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York, and burst into a ball of flames.
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