I saw the Airbus A320 plane that crashed in the Hudson River 15 years ago. I was moved by the rawness of the exhibit and survivors. [Video]

On January 15, 2009, a fully loaded US Airways Airbus A320 plane ditched into the Hudson River after a bird strike caused both engines to fail.

The accident has since been described as the “Miracle on the Hudson” because none of the 155 passengers and crew onboard died.

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles were in the cockpit that day and had just seconds to make a life-or-death decision.

Recognizing the aircraft was running on near zero thrust at just 2,800 feet above the densely-populated New York City, Sully saw the river as his only nearby obstacle-free option.

“I couldn’t afford to be wrong,” Sully said during his testimony in front of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The crew’s heroism is now cemented in the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, which opened in June and features the real A320 jet as its centerpiece.

As an aviation safety professional turned journalist, I had to visit the plan as …