Today in History: Plane crashes into Potomac river, killing 78
The crash, caused by bad weather, took place only 3,2km from the White House.
On this day in 1982, an Air Florida Boeing 727 plunges into the Potomac River in Washington DC, killing 78 people.
The Air Florida flight took off from Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, with 74 passengers and five crew members on board. The plane had flown into Washington from Miami in the early afternoon and was supposed to return to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a short stop.
However, snow in Washington cause the temporary closure of the airport. When it reopened, the plane was de-iced with chemical anti-freeze, but it 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, 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 travelling 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, while during rescue efforts one survivor of the crash, Arland Williams, drowned while selflessly helping other survivors before even trying to save himself.
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