Sully’s Flight Sim

Flight simulations appear to show that Sully could have returned to an airport because the pilots react instantly and have practiced the scenario. Sully demands a 35-second human response delay; with it, the simulated landings fail.

A benchmark can dramatically overstate safety when test operators have advance knowledge and unrealistic reaction times. Restoring deployment conditions reverses the evaluation result.

Real NTSB investigators disputed the film’s antagonistic portrayal of their inquiry.