PLOT

On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles take off in US Airways Flight 1549 from LaGuardia Airport. While heading up, the Airbus A320 strikes a flock of birds, damaging both engines. Without much time to think, they judge themselves as unable to reach nearby airports (Teterboro Airport being the closest), and Sully ditches the aircraft on the Hudson River. Though with mild injuries, all 155 crew and passengers evacuate successfully. Sully is heralded by the public and media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, but experiences aftereffects, and finds himself unable to escape the attention of the press, which is targeting not only him but also his family.

Still in New York City for investigation reasons, Sully learns that preliminary data from ACARS suggest that the left engine was still running at idle power. Theoretically, it still had enough power to land the plane at either LaGuardia or Teterboro. Furthermore, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) claims that several confidential computerized simulations show similar results. Sully and Jeff firmly insist otherwise, and this opposition gradually intensifies the relationship between both parties.

The NTSB suspects it may be a case of pilot error, which would likely destroy Sully's reputation and career. He arranges to have the simulations rerun with live pilots, then relayed to the public. They result in successful landings. Sully debates that the simulations are unrealistic because they do not take human factors into account, such as the element of surprise, the time required for analysis and decision-making, and the significantly higher stakes he and Jeff faced; the simulation pilots knew in advance of the situation that they would face and of the suggested emergency action, were able to practice the scenario several times, had no passengers to think about, and were in no danger themselves. The NTSB reluctantly accepts his criticism, and the simulations are rerun with a 35-second pause before the plane is diverted. The LaGuardia rerun ends with the plane crash-landing short of the runway, and that to Teterboro with a crash into buildings before it can reach the airport.

After listening to the CVR recorder of the real life incident, NTSB announces that analysis of the port engine, now recovered from the river, confirms Sully's account that it had indeed been seriously damaged by the bird strike, and concludes that Sully had acted correctly in the event. Sully credits everyone on board, the air traffic controllers, the ferry crews, and the emergency response teams for the success. Jeff jokes that he would have ditched the plane in July if he could do it again.

CAST

Tom Hanks as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger

Blake Jones as Sullenberger at 16 years old

Aaron Eckhart as Jeff Skiles

Laura Linney as Lorraine Sullenberger

Mike O'Malley as Charles Porter

Anna Gunn as Dr. Elizabeth Davis

Jamey Sheridan as Ben Edwards

Ann Cusack as Donna Dent

Autumn Reeser as Tess Sosa

Molly Hagan as Doreen Welsh

Jane Gabbert as Sheila Dail

Holt McCallany as Mike Cleary

Chris Bauer as Larry Rooney

Patch Darragh as Patrick Harten

Jerry Ferrara as Michael Delaney

Max Adler as Jimmy Stefanik

Sam Huntington as Jeff Kolodjay

Michael Rapaport as Pete the Bartender

Wayne Bastrup as Brian Kelly

Valerie Mahaffey as Diane Higgins

Jeff Kober as L. T. Cook

Molly Bernard as Alison

Jeffrey Nordling as Barry Leonard

Vince Lombardi, the captain of the first ferry to reach the downed plane, appears as himself. Katie Couric also appears as herself. David Letterman appears via archive footage from the night he interviewed the real crew of Flight 1549 who are digitally swapped with their film counterparts.

Actor Shane P. Allen was cast for his likeness as Discovery Channel CEO Billy Campbell. He and eight others were featured in the film, and had their own body doubles for safety.

During the credits, the real Sully and his wife Lorrie give a short speech to the actual passengers who were on the plane.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

based on the 2009 autobiography Highest Duty by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles.

The film follows Sullenberger's 2009 emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, in which all 155 passengers and crew survived and the subsequent publicity and investigation.