Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Friday morning that the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 will receive the key to the city and his crew will be honored for his heroic landing of a plane in the Hudson River Thursday.

The mayor hailed Captain Chesley Sullenberger as a hero and congratulated all first responders who rushed to the scene of the crash and managed to get all 155 people aboard the jet to safety.

?If it had been a movie, people would not have believed it,? the mayor said during a news conference, surrounded by divers, police officers and firefighters. ?It was too good to be true.?

Sullenberger himself was unable to attend the news conference because regulations prevent him from talking about the incident while the investigation is ongoing.

According to officials, a flock of geese struck Flight 1549 and disabled both its engines just minutes after takeoff. Capt. Sullenberger then decided to land the North Carolina-bound flight in the Hudson River instead of trying to make it to nearby Teterboro Airport.

For extended coverage of the plane crash and press conferences, go to Channel 612 on your iO Digital Cable Box.

Flight1549 pilot hailed as a hero