The 1982 Plane Crash on the Potomac: A Tale of Tragedy and Heroism

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River shortly after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The Boeing 737-200, bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a stop in Tampa, encountered difficulties during its ascent. The plane struck the 14th Street Bridge, a busy thoroughfare connecting Virginia and D.C., before plunging into the icy river. Of the 79 people on board, 74 perished in the crash, along with four motorists on the bridge. The scene played out on national television with camera crews capturing the remarkable rescue of survivors from every day heroes and skilled helicopter pilots.The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to activate the plane's anti-icing system, leading to a reduction in aerodynamic lift due to accumulated ice and snow.Follow us on all the socials: Instagram: @howitallwentsouth TikTok: @howitallwentsouth YouTube: @howitallwentsouthpodcast And... get merch at Printify!Follow Sean Kipe:Instagram: @seankipeofficial Follow Jason Hoch:Instagram: @starexplorer How It All Went South is a twice weekly podcast series hosted by Sean Kipe and Jason Hoch.New episodes are published every Monday with an additional episode available early for subscribers on our Apple Podcasts channel every Friday. If you are a subscriber, you get all episodes ad-free. Reach us at howitallwentsouth@gmail.com (especially if you have an idea about a story we should cover) or leave a message for us at 470-682-1280 and we might use your message on a future show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices