S2 Ep 3: She Survived the Miracle on the Hudson — and She's Still Fighting for You | Denise Lockie

Send us Fan MailOn January 15, 2009, Denise Lockie boarded US Airways Flight 1549 at LaGuardia Airport — a routine Thursday afternoon trip home. What happened next would become one of the most remarkable survival stories in aviation history. In this episode of Bench to Bold, Denise joins Marnie and Alisa to walk through every moment: the hostile corporate merger that put her on that flight, the thunderous noise at 3,200 feet, her eerie calm while the cabin erupted in panic, the upside-down evacuation slide, pulling strangers from the icy Hudson, and a Today Show appearance she did in fireman's pants with no luggage, no ID, and no lipstick. More than a survival story, this is a masterclass in grace under pressure — and why Denise has spent the 17 years since fighting to make aviation safer for everyone.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:00:00:07 — Meet Denise Lockie  Marnie00:01:00 — Corporate Career & The Merger  Denise describes her high-flying sales career00:05:34 — Seat 2C  Denise boards as the first passenger00:07:34 — 3,200 Feet Over New York00:10:52 — Mentally calculating whether she could survive in the water and what it would take00:14:09 — Prepared for Death  Denise reaches a moment of total acceptance00:18:05 — Down the Slide Into the Hudson00:21:25 — Calling Her Sister From the Raft00:28:34 — The Today Show, No Lipstick, and Fireman's Pants00:42:20 — Closing MessageABOUT DENISE LOCKIE:Denise Lockie is a Charlotte, NC-based survivor of US Airways Flight 1549 — the "Miracle on the Hudson" — and one of the most active aviation safety advocates to emerge from that flight. Seated in 2C on January 15, 2009, she was among the 155 passengers and crew who survived after Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger executed an emergency water landing on the Hudson River following a catastrophic dual engine failure caused by a bird strike. In the years since, Denise has channeled that experience into tireless advocacy: she is the only woman currently working in aviation safety at her level, she is working with the FAA on ARC reauthorization, and she serves on the boards of multiple aviation safety organizations. She is a regular speaker at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte — where she appears in the museum's video and has donated personal artifacts from the flight — and is a member of the National Air Disaster Alliance. Most recently, Denise joined the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) in opposing FAA-approved cuts to minimum flight attendant staffing on widebody aircraft. She also mentors emerging professionals and continues to fly regularly — always in natural fibers, always paying attention to the exits.Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBoldFollow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold