Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger III has reflected on how his life has changed on the 15th anniversary of the 'Miracle on the Hudson'.
The entire nation was left stunned on January 15, 2009, when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese after taking off from LaGuardia Airport, New York City.
As the engines powered down, pilots Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles decided an emergency landing wasn't an option, so they expertly landed the plane on the Hudson River - saving all 155 passengers on board.
All travelers then had to exit the aircraft and stand on the wings and inflatable rafts while local ferries came to their rescue.
Federal investigators described the shocking ordeal as the most successful emergency water landing in history, while others have dubbed it the 'Miracle on the Hudson', as everybody on board survived.
The incredible landing thrust Sullenberger into the spotlight as the incident was retold in 2016's Sully, the Sullenberger Aviation Museum was built and now houses the Airbus A320, and he was even invited to former President Barack Obama's 2009 Inauguration.
As it has been 15 years since the frightening event occurred, the 72-year-old now-retired pilot has reminisced on his life, telling PEOPLE: "My definition of success for that flight was complete, absolute: had even one person perished, I would've considered it a tragic failure. I couldn't have celebrated any of this."
Despite saving everyone on board, Sullenberger revealed that is he conscious of the fact that "it was still traumatic for everyone on the airplane and their families".
Passenger Brad Wentzell - who sat in seat 21C - opened up about the moment with the publication, and said that he remembers the "massive impact" after the airplane hit a flock of geese following their departure.
"I had a perfect view of that left engine where I was sitting, and it was on fire. It was sparks coming out, flames coming out," he says. "You just knew something was wrong."
The 46-year-old said that he felt like the pilot was doing "the best job" that he could amid their horrifying descent as flight attendants screamed to brace for impact. However, he decided not to put his head down and help others get to safety.
Sullenberger, who is now an author and serves as an ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, revealed that the incident continues to resonate years later because it "gave people hope" and was a "bright spot" during the 2008 - 2009 financial crisis.
"This was the bit of good news that people needed to hear to reassure them that human nature wasn't just about self-interest and greed, as it seemed at the time, but that we all had the potential to rise to the occasion, work together and save every single life," he said.
He shared that the incident was "life-changing" for him, too, explaining: "I have a richer, fuller life than I did before. I'm doing things professionally as a keynote speaker that I never anticipated.
"I never thought I'd be good at it. I was never one who sought the limelight or wanted to be the life of the party, or [was] comfortable talking in front of big groups, and now it's amazing what you can learn to do and become good at," he added.
The former pilot concluded that what happened on that fearful day had a lasting impact on the 155 passengers, stating: "[The passengers] feel like they've gotten a second chance in life, and they changed directions and [are] trying to live a truer path, a more authentic life, what they really wanted to do, what's really important to them."
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