Captain Cool: Darling, I've had an accident

THE pilot who crash-landed his plane into the Hudson river called his wife and said: "There's been an accident."

Captain Chesley B Sullenberger III, 57, was hailed a hero today after saving the lives of more than 150 passengers.

The pilot of US Airways flight 1549 calmly delivered the news to his wife Lori after pulling off one of the greatest escapes in aviation history.

Speaking from their home in Danville, California, Lori Sullenberger said of her husband, nicknamed Sully: "I was stunned. I hadn't been watching the news. I've heard Sully say to people, 'It's rare for an airline pilot to have an incident in their career.' When he called me, he said: 'There's been an accident.'

"At first I thought it was something minor, but then he told me the circumstances and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school."

Three minutes after the plane took off from New York's LaGuardia airport bound for North Carolina, the Airbus 320's engines lost power after hitting a flock of geese at an altitude of more than 3,000 feet.

Mr Sullenberger reported a "double bird strike" to air traffic controllers but could not return to LaGuardia. He tried to divert to Teterboro airport in New Jersey but was forced to ditch.

Mr Sullenberger warned passengers to brace themselves for a hard landing before steering the plane into the Hudson river in midtown Manhattan on one of the coldest days of the year in New York. The water was freezing, with the air temperature at -5C.

Boats from a ferry service and sightseeing fleet rushed to the scene. As passengers were taken to safety from the wings, Mr Sullenberger walked twice through the flooded plane to check everyone had got out safely.

Asked by the Standard when Mr Sullenberger planned to comment, a New York Police Department Official said: "You got a bird, a plane and Superman. He doesn't have to say anything."

Mr Sullenberger, who has been flying for US Airways since 1980, is a former US Air Force fighter pilot. He has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association safety chairman and accident investigator and has co-written a paper on aviation mistakes.

A total of 78 injuries were reported with passengers taken to hospitals in New York and New Jersey, mostly for hypothermia and minor injuries. One crew member had a broken leg. New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg hailed Mr Sullenberger's actions as "masterful".

Bill Elkin, a businessman from North Carolina who was on the flight, said: "The pilot performed a remarkable job. We're all grateful to him beyond words." Julian Williams, also from North Carolina, said: "I was looking out of the window and I saw one of the engines blow. He [the pilot] started trying to turn around to go back but then three minutes later he said, 'Brace for impact' and then we went down.

"The entire cabin filled with smoke and fumes. The back exit wasn't working so we went to the middle exit to get out." Passenger Bill Zuhoski, 23, said: "I started to get close to my neck being under-water and I just thought I was going to drown right there."

Max Vermij, an air accident investigator, said: "A water landing is typically even more destructive than a ground landing. It is amazing an Airbus jet was able to land in the river without breaking up." The US Airways crew even gave some of their clothes to freezing passengers, it emerged this afternoon.Passenger Barry Leonard was in danger of hypothermia after initially leaping into the water before making it to a raft.

He said: "I was obviously very cold and one of the pilots turned to me and said, 'Please take off your wet shirt and I'll give you my dry one'. And he gave me his shirt. He literally gave me the shirt off his back to keep me warmer.

"I still have it. And I'm never going to give it up. They are heroes."

David Paterson, Governor of New York, said: "We've had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we've had a miracle on the Hudson."

More than 3,000 people on Facebook have already paid tribute to Mr Sullenberger.