Soon thereafter, Harten was relieved of his radar position, a routine move following a major incident.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Harten told the pilot he could land at Newark, seven miles away, but he got no response.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Harten said it was six hours before he could leave work after reviewing the tapes, filling out paperwork and making an official statement.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Harten said he lost radio contact with Flight 1549 and the plane disappeared from his radar screen as it dropped below New York's skyscrapers.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Harten said that after coordinating with controllers in Teterboro, they determined that Runway 1 was the best option and cleared it for an emergency landing.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Harten says he "made a split-second decision" to offer Sullenberger Runway 13, the closest runway, and contacted LaGuardia tower to clear the runways for an emergency.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

"While I have worked 10 or 12 emergencies over the course of my career, I have never worked an aircraft with zero thrust capabilities, " Harten's testimony says.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Harten said he instructed Flight 1549 -- which used the call sign Cactus 1549 -- to climb to 15, 000 feet, then turned his attention to another aircraft.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Last month's emergency occurred about three hours into controller Harten's eight-hour shift, but only 15 minutes after he was assigned to handle departures from New York's LaGuardia Airport.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'

Sullenberger suggested Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, Harten said.

CNN: Controller thought Hudson landing would be 'death sentence'