1982 — Jan 13, Air Florida flight 90 Crash, 14th St. Bridge and Potomac River, DC — 78
— 78 Associated Press. “Air Crashes In the U.S. Since 1979,” New York Times, July 20, 1989.
— 78 Drabek, Thomas E. The Human Side of Disaster. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2010, 113.
— 78 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, Jan 13, 1982, “Plane Crashes into Potomac”
— 78 NTSB. AAR. Air Florida…Collision with 14th St…Bridge…Wash. Nat. AP…Jan 13, 1982
Narrative Information
History.com: “On this day in 1982, an Air Florida Boeing 727 plunges into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., killing 78 people. The crash, caused by bad weather, took place only two miles from the White House.
“The Air Florida flight took off from Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, with 74 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The plane had flown into Washington from Miami in the early afternoon and was supposed to return to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, after a short stop. However, snow in Washington temporarily closed the airport. When it reopened, the plane was de-iced with chemical anti-freeze, but the plane still had difficulty moving away from the gate due to the ice. When it eventually made it to the airport’s only usable runway, it was forced to wait 45 minutes for clearance to take off.
“Not wanting to further delay the flight, the pilot, Larry Wheaton, did not return for more de-icing, and worse, failed to turn on the plane’s own de-icing system. In fact, the pilot and co-pilot discussed the situation, and the co-pilot said “It’s a losing battle trying to de-ice these things. It gives you a false sense of security, that’s all it does.” During the delay, however, ice was accumulating on the wings, and by the time the plane reached the end of the runway, it was able to achieve only a few hundred feet of altitude.
“Thirty seconds later, the plane crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, less than a mile away from the runway. Seven vehicles traveling on the bridge were struck by the 727 and the plane fell into the freezing water. It was later determined that 73 of the people on board the plane died from the impact, leaving only six survivors in the river. In addition, four motorists died in the crash.
“Terrible traffic in Washington that day made it difficult for rescue workers to reach the scene. Witnesses didn’t know what to do to assist the survivors who were stuck in the freezing river. Finally, a police helicopter arrived and began assisting the survivors in a very risky operation.
Two people in particular emerged as heroes during the rescue: Arland Williams and Lenny Skutnik. Known as the “sixth passenger,” Williams survived the crash, and passed lifelines on to others rather than take one for himself. He ended up being the only plane passenger to die from drowning. When one of the survivors to whom Williams had passed a lifeline was unable to hold on to it, Skutnik, who was watching the unfolding tragedy, jumped into the water and swam to rescue her. Both Skutnik and Williams (along with bystander Roger Olian) received the Coast Guard Gold Lifesaving Medal. The bridge was later renamed the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge.” (History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, Jan 13, 1982, “Plane Crashes into Potomac”)
NTSB Executive Summary:
“On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737-222 (N62AF) was a scheduled flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Washington National Airport, Washington, D.C. There were 74 passengers, including 3 infants, and 5 crewmembers on board. The flight’s scheduled departure time was delayed about 1 hour 45 minutes due to a moderate to heavy snowfall, which necessitated the temporary closing of the airport.
“Following takeoff from runway 36, which was made with snow and/or ice adhering to the aircraft, the aircraft crashed at 1601 e.s.t. into the barrier wall of the northbound span of the 14th Street Bridge, which connects the District of Columbia with Arlington County, Virginia, and plunged into the ice-covered Potomac River. It came to rest on the west side of the bridge 0.75 nmi from the departure end of runway 36. Four passengers and one crewmember survived the crash.
“When the aircraft hit the bridge, it struck seven occupied vehicles and then tore away a section of the bridge railing. Four persons in the vehicles were killed; four were injured.
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flight crew’s failure to use engine anti-ice during ground operation and takeoff, their decision to take off with snow/ice on the airfoil surfaces of the aircraft, and the captain’s failure to reject the takeoff during the early stage when his attention was called to anomalous engine instrument readings. Contributing to the accident were the prolonged ground delay between deicing and the receipt of ATC takeoff clearance during which the airplane was exposed to continual precipitation, the known inherent pitchup characteristics of the B-737 aircraft when the leading edge is contaminated with even small amounts of snow or ice, and the limited experience of the flightcrew in jet transport winter operations.” (NTSB. AAR. Air Florida…Collision with 14th St…Bridge…Wash. Nat. AP…Jan 13, 1982.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Air Crashes In the U.S. Since 1979.” New York Times, 7-20-1989. Accessed at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE5DD1E39F933A15754C0A96F948260&sec=&spon
Drabek, Thomas E. The Human Side of Disaster. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2010.
History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, January 13, 1982. “Plane Crashes into Potomac.” Accessed 12-6-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=01/13&categoryId=disaster
National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Air Florida, Inc., Boeing 737-222, N62AF, Collision with 14th Street Bridge near Washington National Airport, Washington, DC, January 13, 1982 (NTSB AAR-82/08; NTIS PB82-910408). Washington, DC: NTSB. Accessed at: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1982/AAR8208.htm