Horror & Heroism, Air Florida Plane Crash, Wash. DC, Jan. 13, 1982- 41 Yrs Ago: Graphic Images, Info

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Last edited Sat Jan 21, 2023, 09:21 PM - Edit history (2)

- The horror and heroism of Air Florida Flight 90, 37 Years Ago, Jan. 13, * 2019. USA TODAY, - Ed.

- PHOTO: A U.S. Park Police helicopter pulls 2 people from the wreckage of an Air Florida jetliner that crashed into the Potomac River when it hit a bridge after taking off from National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 13, 1982.
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(2019, USA Today).. 37 years earlier, on another frigid Jan. 13, a similar storm pounded the D.C. area & led to one of the most haunting tragedies in the city's history: the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into the icy depths of the Potomac River.

It was a pre-digital, pre-cable universe on that bleak Wednesday afternoon in 1982. But a TV crew stuck in gridlocked traffic nearby captured the graphic footage after the Boeing 737 struck the 14th Street Bridge, just a few miles from the White House. The images would become seared into the memories of Washingtonians through the years: the Potomac swallowing the plane except for a slice of its tail section; the dazed eyes of a passenger, her head barely above water as she gripped a safety ring during a rescue attempt; a truck hanging over the bridge after being struck by the jetliner; a survivor clinging to a rope line dangled from a U.S. Park Police helicopter.

Flight 90, operated by the now-defunct Air Florida, was headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a popular winter weather escape route. Moments after takeoff, the plane with 74 passengers & 5 crew members failed to maintain altitude & slammed into the bridge, striking 7 occupied vehicles and plummeting into the Potomac.
- 4 passengers & 1 flight attendant were rescued; 4 motorists on the bridge were killed.

The day was also marked by stunning acts of heroism. Military personnel from the Pentagon raced to the scene to help in rescues. Others on the river's edge threw in makeshift lifelines, some fashioned out of belts or battery cables, to survivors thrashing about in the water.
*Arland Williams was one of 6 aboard the aircraft who initially survived. But Williams would drown after dramatically passing the helicopter rescue rope to others. *The 14th Street Bridge was renamed in his honor in 1985.
- Roger Olian, a sheet metal worker ensnared in a nearby traffic jam, was believed to be the first person to jump into the water with a rope entwined around his waist, but he had to be reeled back in when he got stuck on ice.
- Bystander Lenny Skutnik, a Congressional Budget Office assistant who tore off his coat & cowboy boots & plunged into the Potomac, was able to tow one passenger, Priscilla Tirado, to shore.
- Don Usher & Gene Windsor, 2 Park Police helicopter pilots, managed to pull out 4 people.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the cause of the crash was pilot error, including improper de-icing procedures. The lessons from the Air Florida disaster would put a spotlight on everything from de-icing to issues with start-up air carriers for years to come.
* DC Metro Subway Train Derailment, 3 Deaths. Jan. 13, 1982, had a 2nd reason to be a dark day in Washington, D.C. history: About 30 minutes after the Air Florida incident, a subway train derailment in the heart of downtown led to the deaths of 3 passengers, the first fatalities involving the city's Metro system... More, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/13/air-florida-flight-90-crashed-potomac-37-years-ago/2565245002/
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- Survivor Joseph Stiley's recollections with original film footage. Stiley was a passenger on Flt. 90 & traveling on business with assistant Nikki Felch. Years later, he described his experiences during and after the 1982 disaster.

- Bystander Lennie Skutnick rescues passenger Priscilla Tirado who was traveling with her infant baby that day.
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- (Wiki). Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight operated by Air Florida from Washington National Airport (now Reagan Washington Natl. Airport) to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, with an intermediate stopover at Tampa International Airport. On January 13, 1982, the Boeing 737-222 registered as N62AF crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River.

- Flight, Air Florida PALM 90
Occupants: 79
Passengers: 74
Crew: 5
Fatalities: 74
Injuries: 5 (initially 6)
Survivors: 5 (initially 6)

- Ground Casualities: 4
Ground fatalities: 4 (motorists on 14th St. Bridge struck by airplane)
Ground injuries: 4

- Total Fatalities: 78
Total Injuries: 9
Survivors: 5 (initially 6)

Striking the bridge, which carries Interstate 395 between Washington, DC, & Arlington County, Va., the plane hit 7 occupied vehicles & destroyed 97 ft (30 m) of guard rail before plunging through the ice into the Potomac River. The aircraft was carrying 74 passengers & 5 crew members. Only 4 passengers & 1 crew member (a flight attendant) were rescued from the crash & survived. Another passenger, *Arland D. Williams, Jr., assisted in the rescue of the survivors, but drowned before he could be rescued. *4 motorists on the bridge were killed. The survivors were rescued from the icy river by civilians & professionals. President Reagan commended these acts during his State of the Union speech a few days later.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the cause of the accident was pilot error. The pilots failed to switch on the engines' internal ice protection systems, used reverse thrust in a snowstorm prior to takeoff, tried to use the jet exhaust of a plane in front of them to melt their ice, & failed to abandon the takeoff even after detecting a power problem while taxiing and having ice and snow build up on the wings...

- Read More, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Florida_Flight_90

** Air Florida Flight 'Palm' 90, (7 mins).

** Rec. - Pre-takeoff - explanation of events, action taken by pilots; factors & conditions at Natl Airport. (10 min).

- Air Florida Flight 90, CVR Recording. *Final Cockpit voice recording: takeoff, descent & crash into 14th St. Bridge. Captain Larry M. Wheaton, age 34, & First Officer Roger A. Petit, age 31. (1 min). More info SEE Wikipedia Link above.

- CBS Evening News, Jan.13, 1982. Dan Rather reports on the accident with film footage,