Danville's Legendary Pilot Reveals Alzheimer’s Diagnosis: Report

DANVILLE, CA — Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who landed a failing commercial flight on the Hudson River in 2009, is battling Alzheimer's Disease, the legendary pilot and longtime Bay Area resident said in an exclusive interview with People magazine.

"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," Sullenberger told People in a statement, "but I am in the beginning of this long journey."

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The 75-year-old says he began noticing something was wrong about a year ago when his photographic memory began to fail, according to People.

Now, following his diagnosis, he wants to use his platform to spread awareness about the disease and support others, according to People.

"This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service," Sullenberger told People. "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."

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly impairs memory and cognitive skills, and eventually the ability to carry out even the simplest tasks.

About 7.4 million people aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer's disease in the United States.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America praised Sullenberger for his decision to publicly disclose his diagnosis, saying it would help reduce stigma while showing support for many others impacted by the disease.

"We are grateful for his courage, transparency, and efforts to heightening understanding and compassion for all those living with dementia," the foundation said. "We wish Capt. Sullenberger, his family, and all those who care about him strength and support in the days ahead."

Sullenberger lived in Danville for more than two decades before moving to San Francisco in 2018.

He is best known for saving more than 150 people when the plane he was flying out of LaGuardia Airport in New York suffered a double engine failure after striking a bird.

Sullenberger managed to land the large commercial plane safely in the Hudson River. An act dubbed "Miracle on the Hudson."

Tom Hanks played the role of Sullenberger in the depiction of the pilot's heroics, "Sully."

"Man, what a landing. What a hero," Hanks said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, when asked about Sullenberger. "The real emotional spine of it I had no concept of. He was a humble, smiling hero who just did his job, and that's all I knew."

In 2009, the town of Danville held a ceremony for him, in which he was given the Key to the Town and named an honorary police officer.

Sullenberger never considered himself a hero for his actions that day. In a 2016 interview with ABC News, he said the use of the word hero is "overused" in society and that what happened that day was not a miracle.

"It was many people rising to the occasion," Sullenberger said at the time.

Sullenberger returned to flying eight months after the crash and worked until his retirement in 2010, according to People.

He wrote two books after retiring, was a safety aviation advocate and became a diplomat under the Biden administration.

Sullenberger was most recently mentioned in Nathan Fielder's second season of "The Rehearsal," in which Fielder spends the second season of the show becoming a pilot while trying to figure out what's been causing plane crashes.

"Capt. Sullenberger became a symbol of calm, courage, and selfless leadership when he safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009, saving the lives of all 155 people on board," The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America said. "Those same qualities are evident in his decision to speak publicly about his Alzheimer's diagnosis."

— Patch editor Michael Wittner contributed to this report.