On January 13, 1982, Washington, D.C., was in the grip of a brutal snowstorm that had blanketed the city in ice and snow. Amid these harsh conditions, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737-222, prepared for its departure from Washington National Airport (now Reagan National Airport) to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a stopover in Tampa. Onboard were 74 passengers and five crew members, unaware that their routine journey would soon end in disaster.
As the aircraft sat on the tarmac, it underwent de-icing procedures, but in the 30 to 45 minutes before takeoff, fresh snow and ice continued to accumulate on its wings and engines. The flight crew, Captain Larry Wheaton and First Officer Roger Pettit, made a critical error by failing to properly engage the plane’s anti-ice system. This led to ice forming on engine sensors, which falsely indicated that the engines were providing full thrust when, in reality, they were underpowered.
At 3:59 p.m., the control tower cleared Flight 90 for takeoff. As the plane sped down the icy runway, First Officer Pettit expressed concern that the aircraft was not accelerating properly, saying, “That doesn’t seem right, does it?” Captain Wheaton, however, reassured him, and the takeoff continued. The plane struggled to gain altitude, its wings coated with ice. As it barely cleared the airport perimeter, the stall warning sounded. Moments later, the Boeing 737 slammed into the 14th Street Bridge, crushing several cars before plunging into the freezing waters of the Potomac River at 4:01 p.m.
Seventy-four of the 79 people on board were killed instantly, along with four motorists on the bridge. The main fuselage quickly sank beneath the river, leaving only the battered remains of the tail section floating on the surface. Trapped in the wreckage were five survivors, injured and clinging to debris in the frigid, ice-choked waters.
The city, already paralyzed by the blizzard, had difficulty dispatching rescue teams. Emergency vehicles struggled to navigate the snow-covered roads, and the river’s icy conditions made traditional rescue efforts nearly impossible. Then, a U.S. Park Police helicopter, piloted by Donald Usher and Melvin Windsor, arrived on the scene. Hovering dangerously low over the water, they began one of the most daring aerial rescue efforts in history, dropping life rings to the survivors.
Among them was a middle-aged passenger who quickly emerged as a hero. Instead of taking the lifeline for himself, he repeatedly passed it to others, ensuring that fellow passengers were pulled to safety. He assisted flight attendant Kelly Duncan and other survivors before succumbing to exhaustion and slipping beneath the icy waters before rescuers could return for him. This man was later identified as Arland D. Williams Jr., a bank examiner from Georgia. His selflessness and sacrifice became legendary, and in his honor, the 14th Street Bridge was renamed the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge.
The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed a series of errors that led to the crash. The failure to use proper de-icing procedures, the accumulation of ice on the wings, and the misjudgment of engine power all contributed to the catastrophe. The accident led to major changes in aviation regulations, including stricter de-icing protocols and improved crew resource management, which emphasized clear communication and the authority of co-pilots to challenge unsafe decisions.
The tragedy of Flight 90 remains one of the most haunting disasters in U.S. aviation history, not only for its devastating loss of life but also for the extraordinary acts of heroism displayed in its aftermath. The courage of Arland D. Williams Jr. and the daring efforts of the rescue teams serve as a lasting reminder of human bravery in the face of overwhelming adversity.