43 years later, Potomac crash revives memories of 1982 Air Florida tragedy

Collision between American airlines jet and Black Hawk on Potomac revives haunting memories of the 1982 tragedy.

Nearly 43 years ago, the nation watched in horror as Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the frozen Potomac River, just miles from the White House. The tragic accident, which occurred on January 13, 1982, resulted in the deaths of 78 people, including passengers, crew, and motorists on the 14th Street Bridge.

However, amid the devastation, a gripping live rescue played out on television, showcasing acts of incredible heroism.

The Boeing 737 was en route from Washington National Airport (now Reagan National) to Florida when it failed to gain altitude after takeoff, ultimately striking the heavily trafficked bridge before plunging into the icy river. The crash occurred during a severe winter storm that had blanketed Washington in snow, creating treacherous conditions for travelers. "Loss of control was determined to be due to reduction in aerodynamic lift resulting from ice and snow that had accumulated on the airplane's wings," an FAA report later revealed.

Survivors clung to pieces of the wreckage as a U.S. Park Police helicopter hovered overhead, dropping lifelines into the freezing water. Among those fighting for their lives was Priscilla Tirado, whose husband and 2-month-old child perished in the crash. Cold, disoriented, and covered in jet fuel, she struggled to hold onto a dangling life preserver before slipping beneath the surface. That’s when government worker Lenny Skutnik, witnessing the scene from the shore, dove into the water and pulled her to safety.

Another hero that day was Arland D. Williams Jr., a passenger who repeatedly passed the helicopter’s rescue line to others before succumbing to the icy waters himself. "You can live with tremendous pride," President Ronald Reagan later told Williams' family as he posthumously awarded him the Coast Guard’s Gold Lifesaving Medal in 1983. Today, the bridge where the crash occurred bears his name—the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge—a lasting tribute to his selfless bravery.

With the recent collision of a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Airport, the haunting memory of Flight 90 serves as a reminder of past aviation tragedies over the Potomac.

The pictures out of the DC crash are bringing back memories of the coverage of the Air Florida crash in the Potomac in 1982. I hope there are more survivors than that one had.

— David Beck (@David_Beck_Atty) January 30, 2025

January 13, 1982 Washington DC was in the grip of a snowstorm 43 years ago, an Air Florida jet struggling to get out of Washington National Airport slammed into the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the Potomac River. Seventy-eight people died.

Ironically this was the same… pic.twitter.com/Xc0K8ixVGy

— ҒβΔ GΩDDΣSS✨ΔΠDRΣΔ (@FBAGoddess444) January 30, 2025

The awful crash in DC recalls for me when Air Florida Flight 90 went down after takeoff from Reagan Airport on January 13, 1982. I was on my way home that wintry night. I spent several hours on a crammed Pentagon metro station waiting for a bus to go home. I remember wishing I…

— David D. Pearce (@daviddpearce) January 30, 2025

I'm watching the news of a small jet crashing into the Potomac river and it's where Air Florida flight 90 also went down in January of 1982. I remember bystander Lenny Skutnik diving into the icy water and saving a drowning woman. That is making America great, even back then. pic.twitter.com/P2E4H8E0ap

— Tim Bradley (@BradleyTim) January 30, 2025

This isn’t the first plane crash into the Potomac. Air Florida Flight 90 went down after takeoff from Reagan Airport on January 13, 1982 and killed 78.

Arland Williams Jr. was proclaimed a hero that day, as he passed a life-saving helicopter rope to others, before he drowned. pic.twitter.com/61xnrZ1FNE

— Jordan Rhone (@JordanRhone) January 30, 2025