Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the captain of an airliner that made an emergency landing in the Hudson River last month, has offered the first interview with regard to the incident.

 

He told Katie Couric in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that the occurrence had been “the worst sickening, pit-of-your-stomach, falling-through-the-floor feeling” he had ever had. In addition, the pilot said that he initially experienced disbelief when he found out that birds had flown into the plane’s engines.

 

Captain Chesley Sullenberger drifted the Airbus A320 over the George Washington Bridge and into the Hudson River. All 155 people who had been on the plane survived.

According to investigators, birds crashed into both of the engines of Flight 1549 soon after it left ground.

 

In the interview, the captain expresses his gratitude toward New York City’s first responders, saying that a simple “thank you seems totally inadequate.” The interview is due to be aired at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday.

 

Authorities released on Thursday a recording of communication between traffic controllers and the pilot, which expose an uptight, speedy rush as controllers did their best to set up an emergency landing before losing sight of the Airbus A320.

 

The recording made available by the Federal Aviation Administration shows the pilot say that the plane would land in the Hudson and that he was not able to return to the airport.