Pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, hero of the 2009 'Miracle on the Hudson', announces early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis at 75

The announcement

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, the pilot celebrated for the "Miracle on the Hudson," announced on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Sullenberger, 75, disclosed the diagnosis in a statement on his personal website and in an interview with People magazine. He learned of his condition in August 2025, according to the magazine.

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 said he first noticed something was wrong when he began forgetting things, a change for someone who once had a photographic memory. He framed the public disclosure as an extension of his lifelong commitment to service, hoping to encourage other families affected by the disease to step forward.

The Hudson landing

The diagnosis comes more than 17 years after the event that made Sullenberger an international figure. On 15 January 2009, he was piloting US Airways Flight 1549 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the Airbus A320 struck a flock of geese shortly after takeoff. The collision caused a complete loss of thrust in both engines. Unable to return to LaGuardia, Sullenberger guided the aircraft to an emergency water landing on the Hudson River. All 150 passengers and 5 crew members on board survived. The landing was hailed as a masterful feat under extreme pressure, and the story was later adapted into the 2016 Clint Eastwood film "Sully," with Tom Hanks portraying the captain.

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.

Advocacy and service

Following his retirement from commercial flying in 2010, Sullenberger became a prominent voice for aviation safety. In 2019, he testified before the U.S. Congress, calling for new simulator training requirements before Boeing 737 MAX flights could resume after two fatal crashes. "Our current system of aircraft design and certification has failed us," he said at the time. Congress passed sweeping legislation in 2020 to reform the Federal Aviation Administration's certification process. In 2021, President Biden nominated Sullenberger to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, a role he held briefly, during which he raised concerns about regional airlines attempting to reduce pilot requirements.

A family's response

Sullenberger's wife, Lorrie, told People magazine that the qualities that defined his flying career remain present. "That strength and steadiness is guiding us as a family," she said. "We're supporting him on this journey that we now walk with so many other families. Though the future is uncertain, we continue to live our lives, have hope, and find joy in the everyday."

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.

The wider picture

An estimated 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older were living with Alzheimer's in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the Alzheimer's Association putting the figure at 7.4 million in its own estimates. The disease is the sixth-leading cause of death among Americans in that age group. Sullenberger is not the first public figure to disclose a diagnosis recently; actor Danny Glover spoke out about his own Alzheimer's diagnosis earlier in July 2026. In September, Sullenberger is scheduled to be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

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.