Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is coming forward with a devastating health update. The retired pilot, who successfully landed a commercial jet with 155 people aboard on the Hudson River in 2009 after a double engine failure due to a bird strike, announced July 14 in a statement on his website that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which he said 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,” the former diplomat shared in part, adding, “This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward. And about hope – so many people told us after Flight 1549, that the outcome gave them hope. Lorrie, my incredible partner of 37 years, says we can all use a little of that hope right now.”
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is coming forward with a devastating health update. The retired pilot, who successfully landed a commercial jet with 155 people aboard on the Hudson River in 2009 after a double engine failure due to a bird strike, announced July 14 in a statement on his website that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which he said 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,” the former diplomat shared in part, adding, “This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward. And about hope – so many people told us after Flight 1549, that the outcome gave them hope. Lorrie, my incredible partner of 37 years, says we can all use a little of that hope right now.”
