Hero Pilot Chesley Sullenberger Opens Up About Living with Alzheimer’s at 75

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed a stricken airliner on the Hudson River and saved every person on board, has revealed that he is living with an early stage Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The 75 year old aviator received the news last August after he began noticing small changes in his normally sharp memory. Names sometimes came slower than before and stories he had just shared would slip away. He describes this as the start of a long journey rather than an ending.

Sully has spent decades in service, first as a fighter pilot in the Air Force, then as a commercial airline captain, accident investigator and later as the U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

After the 2009 emergency landing that made him known around the world, he used that platform to push for better pilot training, rest rules and safety standards. Now he sees speaking openly about his diagnosis as another way to serve, especially for the millions of families who live with this disease every day.

His wife Lorrie says the man she has known for 37 years remains the same steady person who stayed calm in the cockpit that January day. The couple, along with their two daughters and granddaughter, are choosing to focus on hope and the ordinary moments that still bring joy. They are walking this path together and want others facing similar news to know they do not have to stay in the shadows.

First Officer Jeff Skiles, who was in the right seat during that flight, learned of the diagnosis months ago. He told People that a conversation with Sully gives no sign anything has changed. Skiles hopes the condition moves slowly and that his friend can keep building the kind of life he has always valued.

Sully believes sharing his experience can encourage other families. He has often said the wave of hope that followed the Hudson landing lifted many people, and he thinks a little of that same hope is needed now. In September he will be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, an honor that recognizes his lifetime of contributions to aviation. While the disease may affect how clearly he recalls the past, he is determined it will not stop him from looking forward with appreciation for the future and gratitude for the family beside him.