Jeffrey Skiles

Last updated
Jeffrey Skiles
Protest 0108 (50939932336) (Jeffrey Skiles).jpg
Skiles in 2011
Born (1959-11-18) November 18, 1959 (age 65)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation(s) Airline pilot; former co-chairman of the EAA Young Eagles Program
Known for First Officer of US Airways Flight 1549 with Chesley Sullenberger

Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Skiles (born November 18, 1959) is a retired airline pilot for American Airlines. [1] On January 15, 2009, he became known globally as first officer of US Airways Flight 1549, when he worked together with captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to water land the aircraft on the Hudson River after the plane lost both of its engines. [2] [3] [4] They were widely celebrated as heroes for landing the plane with no loss of life.

Contents

Early life and career

Jeff Skiles was born and raised in the greater Madison metropolitan area of Wisconsin. Both of Skiles' parents, James Skiles and Deloris McKenney, were pilots during his childhood, and he became a pilot himself when he was sixteen years old. [2] He first worked flying cargo planes, then worked for Midstate Airlines from 1983 to 1986, and after that joined US Airways. At the time of the emergency landing he had been with US Airways for 23 years. [5]

US Airways Flight 1549

US Airways Flight 1549 afloat in the Hudson River Plane crash into Hudson River muchcropped.jpg
US Airways Flight 1549 afloat in the Hudson River

Skiles was flying as a First Officer on Flight 1549 due to a staff reduction at US Airways; [6] he had usually flown as Captain prior to the staff reduction and had slightly more flight hours than Sullenberger (though Skiles was relatively new to flying the Airbus A320). [7]

Atul Gawande, author of The Checklist Manifesto , asserted that the successful emergency landing relied on the cooperation of Sullenberger and Skiles. [8] Gawande's central premise is that even really experienced people in any field encounter rare events, and that successfully coping with the rare event requires first, the careful anticipation of future emergencies, and secondly, preparing a well thought-out list of steps to follow, in advance:

Capt. Sullenberger could be certain that Skiles was doing everything possible to re-start the engines, while he focused all of his attention and skill upon the problem of finding a place to land. The pilot and crew’s adherence to strict protocols contained in the checklist allowed them to function in a complex and dire situation. [8]

In his book, Gawande stated that, during an emergency, there are so many tasks to complete that the first officer is working at least as hard as the captain. [9] Sullenberger had taken on the task of finding a safe place to land, and actually landing, leaving his experienced co-pilot Skiles the task of following the checklist to try to restart the jet engines. Gawande noted that Skiles was able to complete the checklist in the less than three-minute period between the bird strike and the landing, noting this was "something investigators later testified to be "very remarkable" in the time frame he had—and something they found difficult to replicate in simulation." [10]

PBS interviewer Charlie Rose interviewed Skiles on February 10, 2009. [11] During that interview, Skiles predicted that Sullenberger would receive on-going attention, but his (Skiles') fifteen minutes of fame would end when he left Rose's studio. Nonetheless, he has continued to be a well-known speaker on corporate organizational reform and crisis management.[ citation needed ]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a lengthy and extensive investigation of the accident culminating in their published report dated April 4, 2010, stating: “The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the ingestion of large birds into each engine, which resulted in an almost total loss of thrust in both engines and the subsequent ditching on the Hudson River.”[ citation needed ]

Post Flight 1549 life and career

Skiles (back right) and Sully Sullenberger (back left) attending the First Inauguration of Barack Obama on 20 January 2009, with U.S. Senator Jim Bunning seen in front Sullenberger and Skiles at inauguration (1).jpg
Skiles (back right) and Sully Sullenberger (back left) attending the First Inauguration of Barack Obama on 20 January 2009, with U.S. Senator Jim Bunning seen in front
Skiles speaking at the 2011 Wisconsin protests Protest 0113 (50939932696) (Jeffrey Skiles1).jpg
Skiles speaking at the 2011 Wisconsin protests

After a formal review of their performance, both Sullenberger and Skiles had their flight status restored, but Sullenberger retired in 2010. [12] Sullenberger and Skiles flew together, on March 3, 2010, on a recreation of their original flight plan, on Sullenberger's last flight for US Airways.[ citation needed ]

Skiles, a Wisconsin resident, spoke in support of trade unions in the 2011 Wisconsin protests. [13]

Skiles went on to become the Vice President of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA), which represents the interests of 28,000 airline pilots in safety and security issues. In this role he was instrumental in the creation of the First Officer Qualification rule, which significantly increased the requirements for training and experience of First Officers on the flight deck of US registered airliners. Skiles joined with the Families of Continental Flight 3407 and the National Air Disaster Alliance to mold the creation of and ensure passage of the Airline Safety Act of 2010, which significantly improved safety in the US airline industry. Since its passage, the only fatality in a US airline accident occurred April 17, 2018, when a passenger died onboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1380.[ citation needed ]

In September 2009, Skiles and Sullenberger became the honorary Co-Chairmen of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles program, which utilizes EAA's nationwide network of local chapters to offer free airplane rides to young people and expose them to general aviation and careers in aviation. EAA volunteers have performed over 2.2 million flights since its inception, making it the most successful program of its kind in history.[ citation needed ]

As of 2021, Skiles was working for American Airlines, piloting Boeing 787 Dreamliners. [1] He became a captain in 2022. Skiles retired on Sunday 17th November 2024, after captaining his final flight AA87 from London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare. [14]

Honors

On January 16, 2009, the United States Senate passed a resolution recognizing and honoring Sullenberger, Skiles, the cabin crew, the passengers, and the first responders involved in Flight 1549's emergency landing; [15] and during the Super Bowl XLIII pre-game ceremony on February 1, 2009, Sullenberger, Skiles, and Flight 1549's cabin crew—Doreen Welsh, Sheila Dail, and Donna Dent—were honored with a standing ovation. [16] Skiles and the entire crew of Flight 1549 also received a Masters Medal by the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators [17] and a Key to the City of New York [18] in 2009, as well as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement in 2010. [19] Through their involvement with the Young Eagles and various aviation safety advocacy efforts, Skiles and Sullenberger received the 2015 EAA Freedom of Flight Award.

Publications and media

Skiles is a writer and, since 2011, has published over 100 articles on safety and general interest aviation topics in nationally distributed magazines such as Sport Aviation, Flying, Air & Space, PilotMag, Midwest Flyer, Vintage Airplane, and the Physicians Executive Journal.[ citation needed ]

In the 2016 drama film Sully , directed by Clint Eastwood, Skiles is portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, with Sullenberger portrayed by Tom Hanks.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experimental Aircraft Association</span> Aviation organization in Oshkosh, United States

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 300,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. It hosts the largest aviation gathering of its kind in the world, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation safety</span> State in which risks associated with aviation are at an acceptable level

Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of aircraft and aviation infrastructure. The aviation industry is subject to significant regulation and oversight.

In aviation, a phugoid or fugoid is an aircraft motion in which the vehicle pitches up and climbs, and then pitches down and descends, accompanied by speeding up and slowing down as it goes "downhill" and "uphill". This is one of the basic flight dynamics modes of an aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Airlines Flight 811</span> 1989 passenger aircraft accident

United Airlines Flight 811 was a regularly scheduled international flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, with intermediate stops at Honolulu and Auckland. On February 24, 1989, the Boeing 747-122 serving the flight experienced a cargo-door failure in flight shortly after leaving Honolulu. The resulting explosive decompression blew out several rows of seats, killing nine passengers. The aircraft returned to Honolulu and landed without further incident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilot error</span> Decision, action, or inaction by an aircraft pilot

In aviation, pilot error generally refers to an action or decision made by a pilot that is a substantial contributing factor leading to an aviation accident. It also includes a pilot's failure to make a correct decision or take proper action. Errors are intentional actions that fail to achieve their intended outcomes. The Chicago Convention defines the term "accident" as "an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft [...] in which [...] a person is fatally or seriously injured [...] except when the injuries are [...] inflicted by other persons." Hence the definition of "pilot error" does not include deliberate crashing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sullenberger Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum in North Carolina, United States

The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, formerly the Carolinas Aviation Museum, is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Robert Piché is a retired Quebecer pilot. On August 24, 2001, he was captain of the Airbus A330 flying Air Transat Flight 236 and managed to land the aircraft safely in the Azores after it lost all power due to fuel exhaustion. As of November 2024, this remains a record glide length for a commercial aircraft in non-powered flight. Piché and his co-pilot were later assigned partial responsibility for the incident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ALM Flight 980</span> Aviation accident in the Caribbean Sea on 2 May 1970

ALM Antillean Airlines Flight 980 was a flight scheduled to fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, on 2 May 1970. After several unsuccessful landing attempts, the aircraft's fuel was exhausted, and it made a forced water landing in the Caribbean Sea 48 km off St. Croix, with 23 fatalities and 40 survivors. The accident is one of a small number of intentional water ditchings of jet airliners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Airways Flight 1549</span> 2009 aircraft ditching in the Hudson River, New York City

US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia, losing all engine power. Given their position in relation to the available airports and their low altitude, pilots Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles decided to glide the plane to ditching on the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan. All 155 people on board were rescued by nearby boats. There were no fatalities, although 100 people were injured, some seriously. The time from the bird strike to the ditching was less than four minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sully Sullenberger</span> American pilot and diplomat (born 1951)

Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American retired aviator, diplomat and aviation safety expert. He is best known for his actions as captain of US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, when he ditched the plane, landing on the Hudson River after both engines were disabled by a bird strike. All 155 people aboard survived. After the Hudson landing, Sullenberger became an outspoken advocate for aviation safety and helped develop new protocols for flight safety. He served as the co-chairman, along with his co-pilot on Flight 1549, Jeffrey Skiles, of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preflight checklist</span> List of tasks performed prior to takeoff

In aviation, a preflight checklist is a list of tasks that should be performed by pilots and aircrew prior to takeoff. Its purpose is to improve flight safety by ensuring that no important tasks are forgotten. Failure to correctly conduct a preflight check using a checklist is a major contributing factor to aircraft accidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathay Pacific Flight 780</span> 2010 non-fatal aircraft incident

Cathay Pacific Flight 780 was a flight from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, to Hong Kong International Airport on 13 April 2010. On board were 309 passengers and a crew of 13. As Flight 780 neared Hong Kong, the crew were unable to change the thrust output of the engines. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-300, landed at almost twice the speed of a normal landing, suffering minor damage. The 57 passengers who sustained injuries were hurt in the ensuing slide evacuation; one of them received serious injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard de Crespigny</span> Retired Australian commercial airline pilot

Richard Champion de Crespigny is an Australian Qantas pilot and author who served as pilot-in-command of Qantas Flight 32 and was widely praised for his cockpit resource management during the emergency with his crew.

<i>Highest Duty</i> 2009 memoir

Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters is a 2009 memoir written by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow describing the events of US Airways Flight 1549. The New York Times bestselling autobiography of Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger—the pilot who landed a crippled airliner in New York's Hudson River, saving the lives of the 155 passengers and crew—discusses leadership, responsibility, and service, along with his life story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas DC-7B N836D</span>

N836D is a former Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7B restored to flying condition and previously operated from Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, in Opa-locka, Florida. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate expired in June 2013 and it remains at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on static display.

<i>Sully</i> (film) 2016 film

Sully is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Todd Komarnicki, based on the 2009 autobiography Highest Duty by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. Tom Hanks stars as Sullenberger, with Aaron Eckhart as Jeffrey Skiles, and co-stars Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Autumn Reeser, Holt McCallany, and Jamey Sheridan. The film follows Sullenberger's 2009 emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, in which all 155 passengers and crew survived, and the subsequent publicity and investigation.

<i>Why Planes Crash</i> Aviation documentary TV

Why Planes Crash is a documentary TV series based on aviation accidents and crashes. The series was created, named and produced by Caroline Sommers for NBC News. The series premiered on July 12, 2009, featuring Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, popularly known as the "Miracle on the Hudson." Three other ditchings were also featured in this episode: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, ALM Flight 980, and Pan Am Flight 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammie Jo Shults</span> Pioneer female US Naval Aviator

Tammie Jo Shults is an American retired commercial airline captain, author, and former naval aviator. She was one of the first female fighter pilots to serve in the United States Navy. Following active duty she became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. She retired from Southwest Airlines in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ural Airlines Flight 178</span> 2019 aviation incident

Ural Airlines Flight 178 was a scheduled passenger flight from Moscow–Zhukovsky to Simferopol, Crimea. On 15 August 2019, the Airbus A321 operating the flight carried 226 passengers and seven crew. The flight suffered a bird strike after taking off from Zhukovsky and crash landed in a cornfield, 5 kilometres away from the airport. All on board survived; 74 people sustained injuries, but none were severe.

References

  1. 1 2 "American Airlines Marks the 10th Anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson". American Airlines . Charlotte, North Carolina. 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2020-04-07. Sullenberger and Welsh retired from US Airways in 2010. Dent retired from American in 2017 and today marks Dail's last day at the airline before retirement. Skiles is based in Chicago and flies Boeing 787 aircraft for American.
  2. 1 2 Scott Bauer (2009-01-15). "Co-pilot in Hudson plane crash from Wisconsin". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Oregon . Retrieved 2020-04-05. His father, James J. Skiles of nearby Verona, said his son's been flying since he was 15 years old. He's worked almost 26 years for US Airways and prior to that worked for Midstate Airlines and also flew cargo planes, Barbara Skiles said.
  3. ↑ Catherine Elsworth (2009-01-17). "New York plane crash: co-pilot tells captain 'You pulled it off!'". The Telegraph . Retrieved 2020-04-05. Overheard minutes after the plane was brought down safely in New York on Thursday, Mr Skiles said: 'You know, Sully - no-one's ever had a successful ditch before. You pulled it off.'
  4. ↑ John Allen (Summer 2009). "This is Your Copilot Speaking" (PDF). On Wisconsin . p. 30. Retrieved 2020-04-07. I don't know who decided it, but afterward, somebody said we absolutely had to go to the hospital, even though four of us [all but flight attendant Doreen Welsh, who suffered a lacerated leg] were fine. So they took us to the hospital, and that took a long time. Everything took forever. And what strikes me is that everybody was talking around us — the police were talking amongst each other in little groups; the union guys are talking to each other. Nobody's talking to us. It's almost like we were pariahs.
  5. ↑ "PUBLIC HEARING IN THE MATTER OF THE LANDING OF US AIRWAYS FLIGHT SA-532 1549, N106US, IN THE HUDSON RIVER, WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY, JANUARY 15, 2009" (PDF). 2009-07-09. p. 40. Retrieved 2024-04-09. CAPT. SULLENBERGER: Well, first of all, it helped that I was flying with First Officer Jeff Skiles, a gentleman who's been at the airline for 23 years.
  6. ↑ Subcommittee on Aviation (2009-02-24). "US Airways Flight 1549 Accident Hearing (111-10)" (PDF). Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure . Washington DC. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-04-05. I think the word of the day today is ″experience,″ obviously, looking at us. I myself have 20,000 flying hours. I have been a captain at US Airways in the past, but due to cutbacks, I am flying as a first officer right now. And I have been flying for 32 years myself.
  7. ↑ "Atul Gawande at the 2009 New Yorker Festival". The New Yorker magazine . 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2020-04-05. One thing to think about that stuck in my mind was that Sullenberger, who was captain, and Jeffrey Skiles, who was the co-pilot, the first officer, had never flown together before they got on that plane that day.
  8. 1 2 "Getting things right" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  9. ↑ Atul Gawande (2010). The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. Henry Holt and Company. pp. 178–180. ISBN   9781429953382 . Retrieved 2020-04-05. The plane had only three and a half minutes of glide in it. In that time, Skiles needed to make sure he'd done everything possible to relight the engines while also preparing the aircraft for ditching if it wasn't feasible. But the steps required just to restart on engine typically take more time than that.
  10. ↑ Gawande, Atul (2010-04-01). The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. Henry Holt and Company. pp. 179–180. ISBN   978-1-4299-5338-2.
  11. ↑ Charlie Rose (2009-02-10). "Jeffrey Skiles". Charlie Rose show . Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  12. ↑ Scott Mayerowitz (2010-03-03). "Sully Retires: No More Miracles on the Hudson: The US Airways pilot is retiring after 30 years of flying". ABC News . Retrieved 2020-04-05. In October, just before the release of his book, Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, who was with him for the Hudson crash flight, took to the skies again together. The pair flew from Charlotte, N.C., to New York in the morning and then returned together in a trip called their 'reunion flight.'
  13. ↑ Travierso, Michele (23 February 2011). "Unlikely Wisconsin Protesters: A 'Miracle on the Hudson' Co-Pilot and a Camel". Time. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  14. ↑ https://www.flyingmag.com/careers/miracle-on-the-hudson-first-officer-retires/
  15. ↑ "S.Res.17 - A resolution recognizing and honoring Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, his co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles, the crewmembers of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, and the first responders, ferry operators and tug boat drivers of New York City, for their heroic and intuitive roles in the safe emergency landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549". Library of Congress. January 16, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Super ovation for 'Sully', US Airways crew". NBC Sports. Associated Press. February 1, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  17. ↑ "US Airways Flight 1549 Crew receive prestigious Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators Award" (PDF). GAPAN. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Mayor gives airliner crew keys to NYC". The Denver Post . February 9, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ Van der Linden, Bob(April 26, 2010). "The Crew of US Airways Flight 1549 to be Presented with the National Air and Space Museum's Trophy Award for Current Achievement". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.