story . i m anderson cooper. last week at tokyo s haneda airport, a jal airbus collided with a smaller aircraft. five crew members on the coast guard plane died. but amazingly, all 379 people on the airbus survived. they were safely evacuated before the plane was engulfed in flames. investigation into what happened is still under way. it got us thinking about that miraculous story of survival that happened 15 years ago this month. us airways flight 1549 took off from new york s laguardia airport heading to charlotte, north carolina. there were 150 passengers onboard and 5 crew members, including the pilot, captain chesley sully sullenberger. it should have been a quick two-hour flight. but soon after takeoff the plane collided with a flock of geese. both engines went out and the plane headed down. captain sullenberger acted quickly, heading towards the hudson river for an emergency landing. his decisiveness saved the lives of all 159 people onboard. but this potential trage
quickly, heading towards the hudson river for an emergency landing. his decisiveness saved the lives of all 159 people onboard. but this potential tragedy turned miracle was traumatic for many on the plane, including the captain. over the next hour, you ll hear from them about what they went through on that flight and get an intimate look into their lives 15 years after the event they say changed them forever. this is cactus 1539. hit birds. we v ve lost thrust and boboth engigines. we r re turning g back towarard laguguardia. > 1529, do you u want to trt land we may end up in the hudson. traffic to unable. well,l, i ve hearard that
we were boboth in saleles for cocompanies nonot based hehere tennessee.e. many times i would land at the airporort at 3:30 0 in the afafternoon. my husbaband, he was flying outt 5:00. we would cross like ships in the night. i had gone to the institute of t technology y for schoolol. i wanteded to turn c companies around. that s s what i wawas really go at. and i swear, i could make a lot of money. i traveled as much as anybody, 150,000, 200,000 miles a year. it was hard on a marriage, number one, and hard on the kids. there were times when, you know, i would get a little depressed. i remembmber one timime i had a severe, , severe pananic attack. i thoughght i was dydying. mymy blood preressure was s som arouound 220 ovever 100, ridicu stroroke level s stuff. and i think that w was a resuluf the e stress of f the jobs i ha sometimes.