When Eric Stevenson noticed the smell of burnt poultry and loud thuds 90 seconds after US Airways Flight 1549 took off on Thursday, January 15th, 2009, he knew something had gone terribly wrong. As Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger attempted to navigate the disabled plane towards the Hudson River, Eric took out a business card and wrote down “I love you” to his mother and sister. Although the plane landed in the water successfully, the disaster wasn’t over; jet fuel was leaking and circling around the plane in the middle of the icy Hudson, and rescuers had not yet arrived. The story below is an in depth look at Eric Stevenson’s personal account aboard Flight 1549, the rescue and the week that followed.