Air Florida Flight 90 Crash 1/13/82: check in if you remember...

[Virginia Dare]

what a terrible and sad day for those of us in and around the Washington, D.C. area. I remember the horror of watching people live on television struggling in the icy water of the Potomac River. I remember the terror of not knowing who it was that was killed on the 14th Street bridge, as my father and numerous neighbors and friends traveled that bridge every day. These were the days before cell phones, so you just waited hours and hoped your loved one eventually showed up.

Here is a story about the numerous acts of heroism that day, many lives were saved by selfless acts. Tragically, 74 passengers and crew were killed, and 4 on the bridge.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/12/AR2007011202052.html

[Kingshakabobo]

1. I remember it.

I'll never forget the images of those passengers in the water.



http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1982/1982-3.htm

Air Florida
Flight #: 90
Route: Washington D.C. - Fort Lauderdale, FL
AC Type: Boeing B-737-222
Registration: N62AF
cn / ln: 19556/130
Aboard: 79 (passengers 74 crew:5)
Fatalities: 74 (passengers 70 crew:4)
Ground: 4
Summary: The aircraft crashed into the 14th St. bridge and the Potomac River and sank shortly after taking off from Washington National Airport. The aircraft reached a peak altitude of 300 ft. The flight crew's failure to use the engine anti-icing system during takeoff. Failure to de-ice the plane a second time before takeoff and taking off with snow/ice on the airfoil surfaces of the aircraft. Ice which accumulated on the engine pressure probes resulted in erroneously high Engine Pressure Ratio (EPR) readings. When the throttles were set to takeoff EPR, the engines were actually developing significantly less than takeoff thrust. The crew's inexperience in icing condtions was a contributing factor.

[SutaUvaca]

20. Can't forget this one.

My late wife watched another Air Florida 737 taking off from Gainesville, FL and crossing overhead of her on the highway as she returned to her office. She had a distinct impression that the plane would never return safely. She mentioned it to her staff when she got to the office, only to discover the news report that shortly appeared on the radio, that an Air Florida flight has just crashed in the DC area. Different plane, taking off as flight 90 was going into the Potomac. My wife was not crazy about having such a "gift" but we certainly learned to pay attention to her intuitions. A sad and spooky afternoon that was.

[Ian David]

2. I also remember some "shock-jock" making some horrible prank phonecalls to the airline afterward.n/t

[Virginia Dare]

3. Was it Howard Stern?...

he was in D.C. at the time I believe...?

[salin]

7. Yes. I think he was fired

worked out quite well for him, though.

[Virginia Dare]

13. Howard was fired and rehired at least twice from DC-101..

as was Greaseman. I can't recall if that was the final straw for Howard or not.

[hootinholler]

23. The rumour here is

He called Air Florida Reservations and asked for the price of a one-way ticket to the 14th St bridge. I didn't hear it, so I can't confirm, but in 83 when I moved to the DC area he was gone.

-Hoot

[Virginia Dare]

26. Yes, that's how I remember the story...

he can be a very sick individual sometimes. I was pretty much through with him after that.

[bumblebee1]

36. Actually,

Howard called Air Florida asking about the fare to the 14th St bridge. The reservation clerk then asked, "Will that be round trip or one way?"

[trumad]

5. It wasn't the shock-jock who made those calls.

[DemoTex]

4. "Palm 90" was the callsign.

The Air Florida crash at DCA was a case study for the CVR (cockpit voice recorder) lab when I went through ALPA's (Air Line Pilots Assoc) accident investigation course. I have listened to that raw CVR tape probably 100 times. It is gut-wrenching in that Palm 90 should never have crashed. They had a lot of reserve power (firewall thrust) in those engines that the never used in those final seconds.

[Cooley Hurd]

10. The wings were heavily iced as well, weren't they Mac?

All the thrust in the world wouldn't mean a thing if the wings weren't producing the lift needed (of course, I'm only a 300hr ASEL Cessna driver - I defer to your experience ;))

[Virginia Dare]

12. I read the transcript yesterday...

the last words were the co-pilot to the pilot, "we're going down", the pilot said "I know it". Only about a minute passed between the time that the co-pilot realized something was wrong and the crash. It's amazing how little time a pilot has to react. It's my impression, that as a result, now there has to be a consensus between the pilot and co-pilot that everything is okay, or either one can abort the takeoff, before it was solely the pilots decision?

[DemoTex]

31. The transcript is a sanitized version of the raw CVR.

Taxiing out and waiting their turn for takeoff, there was nervous gallows humor between the two Air Florida pilots. Other planes were going with snow on their wings (I paraphrase).. it must be "blowing off" during takeoff acceleration, right? Look at the snow on Eastern's wings .. that must be why he's pulled up so close to that Delta 727, to try to melt it, dont'ca think? Pull up close to New York Air and maybe it will melt this snow (they actually did pull up right behind a NY Air DC-9).

On takeoff roll, the first officer timidly questioned the accuracy of the EPR (engine power gages) readings. Perhaps he did not feel that they were accelerating fast enough for the power shown on the engine instruments (2.04 EPR). In fact, the EPR gages were WRONG! Snow had melted on the heated engine inlet and then streamed back and froze on the Boeing 737-200's Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A Pt-2 probes. In fact, by the CVR evidence, the Air Florida first officer expressed concern that something was 'not right' to the captain four times during the takeoff, but the captain took no action to reject the takeoff.

The Boeing 737's stick-shaker (stall warning system) activated immediately after takeoff, and the "crew rode it in," with the stick-shaker virtually "yelling" at them to do something, to the fatal impact into the heavily congested northbound span of the 14th Street Bridge and the subsequent plunge into the icy Potomac.

As a result of the Palm 90 crash, de-icing and crew co-ordination procedures were enhanced. But, sadly, this was not to be the last icing accident to claim lives in worldwide commercial air transportation.

Sadly, too, simulator crash analysis suggested that the Air Florida 737 had sufficient reserve thrust to fly out of the stall and probably out of the accident had full firewall power been aggressively applied. As a result of the Air Florida icing accident and some fatal wind-shear takeoff accidents, new procedures were adopted for stick-shaker activation during takeoff and landing. At the instant the stick-shaker activates, the pilot recognizing the warning (probably both) commands FIREWALL THRUST! Both the pilots immediately push both thrust levers to the maximum forward position. This is know as "getting a fist full of glass," in reference to the glass faces on the older analog flight and engine instruments. Although certain engine temperature, pressure, and RPM limits might be exceeded, both engines would probably run long enough to get you back on the ground.

I have flown the "Air Florida profile" a number of times in a Boeing 737-200 simulator (same weights, temperatures, EPRs, contaminated runway, etc), and I am convinced they could have flown the jet out of the stall and up the Potomac to safety. Of all the airline accidents I studied in the ALPA Airline Accident Investigation Course, Palm 90 is probably the saddest.

[karlrschneider]

41. Weren't the EPR gauges reading wrong? Ice or something on the sensors

I seem to recall something like that...but you're right. I'd have shoved the levers clear to the stops.

edit: never mind, just now found your post #31...
K

[Bitwit1234]

6. Used to live in Maryland

I worked in Forestville about 4 miles outside DC. We were let off early, and had to use the beltway to get to Laurel, were I lived. It took 4 hours to travel a normally 35 minute drive. And then it was so bad I had to walk 1/2 to my home because the roads were closed. Then when I got home I heard about the crash and watched with horror the events. I did not know anyone who would normally travel that route but I was worried anyway.

[The Cleaner]

30. 4 Hours? Just a normal commute in DC rush hour...

:)

[Cooley Hurd]

8. I remember when Dan Rather broke in with the news...

...it was his first or second week as anchor of CBS news (Cronkite had just retired). Such a sad day, and on top of that, a Metro train also had an accident with an hour of the Flight 90 crash. It must have been bedlam for the DC EMS...:(

[bumblebee1]

37. I was stationed in Maryland with the Navy at the time.

We were watching tv in the lounge at the time. I remember the news breaking in during the show. In my head, I kept saying, "I know where we're going next." Sure enough, it was true. I was part of a diving boat crew. We were needed for the recovery effort. I remember how cold and icy the river was. I also had memories of the tail section of the plane on a barge and of seeing several bodies recovered from the crash. I was in the first year of my enlistment. Talk about getting a sobering reminder about how fragile life is. I got to learn that lesson at age 20.

[indepat]

9. Remember as if it were yesterday: was making many flight in and out of D.C.

[Virginia Dare]

11. Hard to believe it's been 25 years...n/t

[Proud MD Liberal]

14. I was in Jr High

And remember being let out early because of the storm and hearing about this (and the Metro fire) on the way home. It's all very clear in my mind. Tragic day for my hometown.

[bikebloke]

15. Told about it.

At the time, I was working on an Israeli kibbutz. A cousin wrote me, including a newspaper clipping. Another friend wrote me about his experiences on the same day. I think there was a Metro train crash at the same time. They wanted me to know what I was missing working in the sun.

[Nicholaslazyg]

16. I remember that day

I will never forget the TV images of those poor people struggling in the icy water,
watching this horrified in my kitchen in the D.C. suburbs - one of the most heart-wrenching
things, feeling so helpless to do anything...while they suffered.

[Virginia Dare]

17. That is exactly it, it was a very helpless feeling...

understandable how several bystanders just jumped in to try and help.

Welcom to DU, thanks for reply to my post, your first one!!! :hi:

[newyawker99]

38. Hi Nicholaslazyg!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Bluerthanblue]

18. I remember that day well... I

was pregnant with my first child (and only daughter,-who died in utero). It was a different world back then. So different. Despite the tragedy, there was a true sense of conectedness- the divide between repubs and dems was not as violently pronounced as it is today- or at least many of us were 'painfully ignorant'-

[Virginia Dare]

19. You're so right about that..

it was the early Reagan years, but also the days of Tip O'Neill and Howard Baker. Comity was the main theme in Congress, it seemed to work pretty well then, I don't know why we can't get back to that.

[many a good man]

21. 'Twas the day I met my new college room mate

He was from Colorado and was deathly afraid of flying so he wanted to take the Amtrak to Washington. His mother insisted he fly to "get over his fear".

His plane spent three hours circling over DC with a view out his window of a plane in the frozen river!

I caught up with him just five years ago. He told me he had just started a new job working in the Senate side of the US Capitol. His first day of work: Sept 10th, 2001 !

[uppityperson]

33. make sure you stay close to him at all times

he gets close, but not too close. That is wild.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

22. there was also a metro accident at the same time.

i was watching the plane crash and worried that my gf was on the metro train.

channel 9 just happened to be doing a report on the snow from where the plane was about to crash

and that is the reason there was video.

[donsu]

24. yes, I was living in Upper Marlboro then and watched it on TV it was

awful watching and being unable to help. it was a bitter cold day and watching the people trying to make shore in that killing cold water was hell.

every time I drove over that bridge I remembered that day.

[Error]

25. I remember something bout someone jumping in

I can't recall - maybe I heard him speak? Was he a firefighter? Someone jumped in and started saving people and they called him a hero, but he said he just did what anyone else would have done.

[Virginia Dare]

27. Yes, click on the link in the original post...

there is a story about him, and also about the guy who saved five lives before he drowned himself. :cry:

Thanks for posting, welcome to DU!

[Tansy_Gold]

35. His name was Lenny Skudnik (sp) and I remember it well

Several of us were talking about him at coffee just the other day and remarking how clearly we remembered the incident, watching it on tv. None of us had any connection then or now to DC or Air Florida or anything else, but we retained the images and information even so, it was that powerful.

Skudnik was very reserved, did not want any attention, did not consider himself a hero at all.

[nealmhughes]

28. I'll never forget the people in the ice, or the train crash in Bayou Sara outside of Mobile, with

the people in the mud... or that Air Hawaii with half the top blown off coming in to land...or my old neighbors on Long Island going out of Patchogue and Center Moriches after the TWA flight crash.

[The Cleaner]

29. Was a young boy in DC at the time, yep, I remember it...

just as you describe.

Your detail of the frigid-water rescues struck a chord. Of course, it was the main news for days on DC local stations.

[Voltaire]

32. I lived in Alexandria at that time

In fact, I had flown into National from Cleveland the day before. The day before the accident was clear as a bell. Very bad day, and the snow....just terrible. I'll never forget it.

[uppityperson]

34. snow, ice, cold water, watching and watching and hoping and watching

[CTyankee]

39. I was working in the District and everybody got off work early since

it was snowing and when the federal government gets off early, most nonprofits and businesses do the same. There was gridlock in D.C., naturally. My carpool was headed for the 14th St. Bridge when we heard the news. There was a news guy in a helicopter very upset reporting what he was watching. We took the Memorial Bridge to get to Virginia and passed by the whole scene (the 2 bridges are parallel to each other) but we couldn't see much because by the time we got there it was dark. The snowstorm got thicker and we had total whiteout. We couldn't see the road in front of us. We didn't know where we were until a man dressed in a suit and carrying an attache case just appeared in front of us. We debated stopping (all women in the car)but decided it was OK. We asked him where we were and he said the Pentagon. So we knew we were going the right direction (heading to Annandale). I remember we passed around orange soda and Cheetos, which I haven't been able to consume since then.

It was a bizarre night. Those poor people. I remember the lady who floated in the life preserver but died anyway...

[Virginia Dare]

42. What a nightmare commute that day was...

I remember my dad ended up walking from the beltway to home, a distance of about 10 miles. He was nearly frostbitten by the time he got there, but we were just so overjoyed to see him, as he was hours and hours late, and we had no idea where he was. Very frightening.

[CTyankee]

43. Yes, our carpool felt very isolated. We had family members waiting

for us. I didn't know if my high school age kids had made ithome or not. We had the car radio and that was it. This was before we had cell phones. Seems unbelievable now.

[Bluebear]

40. Lenny Skutnick! I surely do remember!

Although I was very young. :rofl: