THE 2009 MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON

HITS CATHEDRALLERS TODAY.

THE MOVIE SULLY.

-- THE MOVIE SULLY BASED ON THE

2009 MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON HITS

THEATERS TODAY.

Reporter: IT'S BEEN MORE

THAN 7 YEARS SINCE THAT MIRACLE

ON THE HUDSON.

RETURNING TO THE RIVER WITH

SULLY, IT IS EVIDENT THE MOMENT

REMAINS FRESH ON HIS MIND.

WHAT COULD HAVE GONE WRONG ON

THE HUDSON?

IF WE HAVE TOUCHED WITH ONE

WING TOO LOW.

IF THE WINGS WERE NOT LEVEL.

SPUN US AROUND WE COULD HAVE

BROKEN APART.

TOO GREAT A DESCENT.

IT WOULD HAVE BROKEN APART AND

WOULDN'T HAVE FLOATED LONG

ENOUGH FOR THE RESCUE.

IF WE MISJUDGED THE HEIGHT TO

BEGIN THE LANDING EVEN BY A

FRACTION OF A SECOND.

WE ARE GOING TO END UP IN

THE HUDSON.

SAY AGAIN?

SO THERE'S THIS MOVIE OUT

THERE AND YOU'RE PLAYED BY TOM

HANKS.

IF YOU CAN'T GET JIMMY STEWART,

TOM HANKS IS GOOD.

[ LAUGHTER ]

TOM CAME TO OUR HOME AND

SPENT ALMOST HALF A DAY THERE

AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE

TALKED ABOUT WAS THE

RESPONSIBILITY HE FELT ABOUT

PLAYING A REAL PERSON STILL

LIVING.

BUT THAT AFTER THE FILM HAS RUN

ITS COURSE I'LL HAVE TO BACK TO

LIVING MY LIFE AND HE WANTED TO

BE SURE HE DIDN'T SCREW IT UP

FOR ME.

Reporter: IN SULLY, TOM

HANKS IS AT THE CONTROLS WITH

HIS COPILOT JEFF SKILES.

TOGETHER THEY TAKE THE AUDIENCE

THROUGH THE HARROWING 208

SECONDS OF U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT

1549.

BRACE FOR IMPACT.

WHAT I REALLY WANTED THIS

FILM TO HAVE WAS A REAL UNDER

CURRENT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF

OUR COMMON HUMANITY AND I THINK

IT'S THERE.

THIS IS ABOUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE

AT A TIME IN THE WORLD'S

HISTORY WHEN IT SEEMED AS IF

EVERYTHING WAS GOING WRONG

DURING THE 2008, 2009 FINANCIAL

MELTDOWN.

IT SEEMED LIKE NO ONE COULD DO

ANYTHING RIGHT.

THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T

KNOW EACH OTHER CAME TOGETHER

IN THIS PLACE AND THEIR TIME

AND MADE IT THEIR MISSION IN

LIFE TO SEE THAT EVERY LIFE WAS

SAVED.

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WE LANDED,

THAT EVERYONE SURVIVED AND WE

HAVE CELEBRATED THAT.

Reporter: THE 15-MONTH

INVESTIGATION BY THE NATIONAL

TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD IS

THE FILM'S CENTRAL FOCUS.

THE NTSB MADE ABOUT 3 DOZEN

IMPORTANT SAFETY

RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE

SAFETY GOING FORWARD.

BUT THE NTSB CANNOT MANDATE

THAT THEY BE ADOPTED BY THE

INDUSTRY.

THAT'S UP TO THE FAA, OUR

REGULATORY BODY TO DO.

AND SADLY, ONLY TWO OR THREE OF

THE 35 RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE

BEEN ADOPTED BY INDUSTRY AND

MANDATED BY THE FAA.

Reporter: WHY NOT?

THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS

BUT THE BOTTOM LINE ULTIMATELY

IS THAT THE AIRLINES IN A VERY

COST COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY ARE

RELUCTANT TO TAKE ON ADDITIONAL

SAFETY MEASURES THAT THEY VIEW

AS A BURDEN OR ADDITIONAL COST.

DID YOU MAKE ANY MISTAKES?

OF COURSE.

IT WASN'T PERFECT.

BUT IT WORKED.

AND I WAS CONFIDENT I WOULD

FIND SOMETHING THAT WOULD WORK.

LOOKED PERFECT TO ME.

AS NOW, SULLY BECAME A NATIONAL

HERO.

HE IS NOW A CBS NEWS AVIATION

AND SAFETY CONTRIBUTOR.

I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS.

CANNOT WAIT.

SO EXCITING.