My main criticism of Sully is the way the NTSB is portrayed in the film. The NTSB investigators are incredulous at Sully’s life-saving decision to land in the Hudson River and seem more concerned with assigning blame. Just in case you think this was unintentional in any way, the screenwriter, Todd Komarnicki, claims said that the NTSB, “spent nine months trying to pin this on him...they didn’t like that he was a hero (Irving).” Allyn Stewart, a producer on the film said “the film is not a documentary. But at the same time, it needs to be an authentic view of what Sully and Jeff experienced and this was what they faced (Negroni).” The final dishonest nail in this fraudulent coffin comes from none other than, Clint Eastwood himself, who said in a promotional video that, “the investigative board was trying to paint the picture that he had done the wrong thing (Negroni).” You may think, “So? What's the big deal?” Well, the big deal is that the antagonists of the film should be a flock of geese, not the NTSB, a small government agency responsible for investigating transportation accidents and recommending precautions and procedures to ensure safety.

The entire film is essentially constructed as a big lie, which makes sense from a screenwriting perspective. I get it, a flock of geese isn’t exactly a compelling antagonist, but then again, some stories probably aren’t meant to be put into film. This is a movie that wrings every ounce of dramatic tension it can from a person who just does his job really well. But in reality, the NTSB was cordial, and they determined that Sully and Skiles made the correct decisions that saved the lives of everyone on board, and exonerated and commended the two pilots without any semblance of a kangaroo court; rendering almost the entire movie moot (Irving). The NTSB was not asked to contribute to the production of Sully (Irving). The real Sully even asked Tom Hanks to change the names of the NTSB investigators because of the adversarial nature of the film (Bahr). Sully himself was a safety representative of for his Union at the time of the incident and knew of all of the procedures of the NTSB (Negroni). Hell, the film is even based on the book he wrote about the incident, Highest Duty, making the changes for dramatic license even more despicable. As Robert Benzon, the leader of the NTSB investigation into Flight 1549 said:

“I do not know why the writer and director chose to twist the role of the NTSB into such an inaccurate depiction. Their treatment of the NTSB went very far beyond cinematic license into simple mean-spirited dishonesty. The movie may actually be detrimental to aviation safety. Pilots involved in accidents will now expect harsh, unfair treatment by investigators. They and others who see the movie will now believe that the NTSB enters into any investigation with preconceived notions, and that we are intent on destroying reputations. Simply untrue. The NTSB is the best friend an airline passenger never gets to meet.” (Irving)