hero status
Getting that plane down in one piece demonstrated the exceptional skills of the pilots. But that was all it was; some damn good flying.
A hero is one that knowingly places himself at risk to come to the aid of others. Captain Sullenberger stayed on the plane after the others exited and waded through ice water one more time to insure everyone was off. Surely he knew that the danger of hypothermia, and the chance that the plane might go down, put him at great risk. That made him a hero.