air florida flight 90 survivor priscilla tirado

16:00:45 CAM-1 Forward, forward, easy. The crew continued to make mistakes throughout the taxiing process. By 1984, Duncan had left the airline to study early-childhood education. [31], Suzy Hagstrom of the Orlando Sentinel said, "Chronologically, the crash of Flight 90 may have marked the beginning of the end for Air Florida, but aviation experts say it did not cause or trigger the carrier's demise". National Transportation Safety Board, Aircraft Accident Report: Air Florida, Inc. Boeing 737-222, N62AF, Collision with 14th Street Bridge, Near Washington National Airport, Washington, D.C., January 13, 1982, National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Report, accessed August 29, 2020. It has been 40 years since Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River killing 78 people, including three infants. Williams again caught one of the lines, and again passed it on, this time to Joe Stiley, the most severely injured survivor. An unidentified passenger from an Air Florida jetliner that crashed into the Potomac River holds on to a safety ring during a rescue attempt in Washington, Jan. 13, 1982. Tirado, Priscilla, 23, of Spain CONFIRMED DEAD Nine bodies thought to be from Flight 90 have been recovered from the Potomac River. On two occasions, the crew recalled last night, he handed away a lifeline from the hovering machine that could have dragged him to safety. The 14th Street Bridge that. "I don't anymore.". Four motorists on the bridge were killed. "I have relived that 34 minutes in the water many times," said Stiley, 52, a telecommunications consultant who now lives in Spokane, Wash. "There is a distinct emotional effect that is permanent, and that I'm not professionally prepared to describe. The pilots failed to switch on the engines' internal ice protection systems, used reverse thrust in a snowstorm prior to takeoff, tried to use the jet exhaust of a plane in front of them to melt their ice, and failed to abandon the takeoff even after detecting a power problem while taxiing and having ice and snow build up on the wings. Stiley slipped the line around his waist and grabbed Priscilla Tirado, who was hysterical, having lost her husband and baby. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images) Embed PURCHASE A LICENSE a Capitol Hill errand-runner, pulled off his cowboy boots, dove in, swam to survivor Priscilla Tirado and tugged her back to the shore. WASHINGTON D.C. - NOVEMBER 15: (NO U.S. TABLOID SALES) Air Florida Flight 90 survivors Priscilla Tirado(L) and Lenny Skutnik(R) pose for a photo on November 15, 1982 in Washington, DC. "This is always a bad day. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. [4]:59 Boeing operations bulletins had warned against using reverse thrust in those kinds of conditions. They have been married for 28 years. Fierce winter storm slams East with ice, snow; more could be coming, Sunday snow: More than 785 flights canceled; airlines waive fees, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Your email address will not be published. Arland Williams was one of six aboard the aircraft who initially survived. As the U.S. Park Police are part of the United States Department of the Interior, pilot Donald W. Usher and paramedic Melvin E. Windsor also received the Interior Department's Valor Award, presented in a special ceremony soon after the accident by Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt. Of the motorists on the bridge involved: 4 sustained fatal injuries 1 sustained serious injuries 3 sustained minor injuries Clinging to the tail section of the broken airliner in the ice-choked Potomac River were flight attendant Kelly Duncan and four passengers: Patricia "Nikki" Felch, Joe Stiley, Arland D. Williams Jr. (strapped and tangled . John Goldsmith, an off-beat reporter for WDVM-TV (now WUSA),[13] happened to be at National Airport prior to the incident doing a story on the snowstorm, and even caught footage of Flight 90 prior to takeoff. She met her future husband, John, a tennis pro, at a Miami church and is now raising three children. "I remember thinking to myself at the time: I wonder what I'll be doing 10 years from now," she said. Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight operated by Air Florida from Washington National Airport now Ronald Reagan Nevertheless, "Life has so much more meaning now. Many federal offices in downtown Washington had closed early that day in response to quickly developing blizzard conditions. The engines' anti-ice heaters were not engaged during ground operation and takeoff. Four of the crew members (including both pilots) died. In spite of their painful memories, most of the survivors still fly. The Metrorail accident near Federal Triangle shortly after the crash killed three people and was attributed to safety procedure violations by the train's operator, a supervisor and control room workers. She was in the Potomac for 20 minutes. DC Fire Department radio traffic from Air Florida Flight 90 and Metrorail crashes- Part 1, Part 2 . That don't seem right, does it? Yet "the sadness" occasionally wells up in him, and he breaks down in sobs, which he did twice during a recent interview. By then some fire/rescue personnel had arrived, but military personnel and civilians were key in pulling the survivors from the shore up to waiting ambulances. Bystander Lenny Skutnik, a Congressional Budget Office assistant whotore off his coat and cowboy boots and plunged into the Potomac,was able to tow onepassenger, Priscilla Tirado, to shore. Twenty-one years ago tomorrow, Air Florida flight 90 clipped the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the icy waters of Washinton's Potomac River. And Tirado, whom her father described as "a very private person," has found emotional release by working on a novel based on a plane crash and by volunteering at a local animal shelter. "It was the same seat assignment as the day of the crash." Just five people escaped. Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Washington National Airport to Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport with an intermediate stopover at Tampa International Airport. The following have been officially identified: Calvin,. Usher later became superintendent of the National Park Service Law Enforcement Training Center located at FLETC in Brunswick, Georgia, before retiring in December 2012. Instead of wrapping it around himself, however, he passed it to flight attendant Kelly Duncan. Rescuers who reached the site were unable to assist survivors in the water because they did not have adequate equipment to reach them. Both Stiley and Duncan joined ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today for a look back at their amazing survival, against all odds. "After 10 years, we're beginning to wonder if this will ever work itself out," said Keefer, of Clearwater, Fla. The snow on the banks was easily two feet high and your legs and feet would fall deep into it every time you moved from the water. Air Florida Flight 90 Survivors: Joe Stiley, Nikki Felch, Kelly Duncan, Priscilla Tirado, and Bert Hamilton In all, there were five survivors: Joe Stiley, his coworker Nikki Felch, flight attendant Kelly Duncan, Priscilla Tirado, and Bert Hamilton. I remember the ambulance. On its third trip back to the wreckage, the helicopter lowered two lifelines, fearing that the remaining survivors had only a few minutes before succumbing to hypothermia. Another passenger, Arland D. Williams, Jr., assisted in the rescue of the survivors, but drowned before he could be rescued. [4]:1 It fell between two of the three spans of the bridge, between the I-395 northbound span (the Rochambeau Bridge) and the HOV north- and southbound spans, about 200ft (61m) offshore. The inaccurate mixture was the result of the replacement of the standard nozzle, "which is specially modified and calibrated, with a non-modified, commercially available nozzle." The National Transportation Safety Board determined the cause of the crash was pilot error, including improper de-icing procedures. More:Fierce winter storm slams East with ice, snow; more could be coming, More:Sunday snow: More than 785 flights canceled; airlines waive fees. But those who were rescued say no amount of money can compensate them for the experience. Flight 90 was nearly two hours late when it lifted off National Airport's slushy main runway. The operator had no means to determine if the proportioning valves were operating properly because no "mix monitor" was installed on the nozzle. It turns out, there was a pretty notable accident at National Airport in 1982: the crash of Air Florida Flight 90. "I really feel that my life has been blessed.". Keefer said he was sponsor on his son-in-law's immigration visa. Moments after takeoff, the plane with 74 passengers and five crew members failed to maintain altitude and slammed intothe bridge, striking seven occupied vehicles and plummeting into the Potomac. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Thirty-seven years earlier, on another frigid Jan. 13, a similar storm poundedthe D.C. areaand led to one of the most hauntingtragedies in the city's history: the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into the icy depths of the Potomac River. 15:59:51 CAM-1 It's spooled. "Emotions that you withheld come out years later, when you least expect it. "You've got to go out and do it," he said. According to the coroner, Williams was the only passenger to die by drowning. Freezing water and heavy ice made swimming out to them impossible. "A Hero Passenger Aids Others, Then Dies". #Students and #UWaterloo alumni this is an opportunity to hear from a #UWaterloo #alumnus on how to start your own business and what it takes to be successful. His work earned him 1983 Pulitzer Prize finalist honors for spot news photography. Felch was lifted out of the water from rescue personnel aboard the helicopter. The first flight was nerve-wracking, but she found solace in religion. One deicing vehicle was used by two different operators, who chose widely different mixture percentages to deice the left and right sides of the aircraft. For Duncan, the day was a rebirth, she said. The smell of jet fuel was everywhere, and you could smell it on your clothes. "[27], The Discovery Channel Canada/National Geographic TV series Mayday (also called Air Crash Investigation or Air Emergency) dramatized the accident in an episode titled "Disaster on the Potomac" (aired in some countries as "Tragedy on the Potomac"). The plane was supposed to depart at 2:15 pm, but takeoff was delayed due to heavy snowfall in the area. The flight has also been shown on the show When Weather Changed History on US-based The Weather Channel. [4]:59. The airport closed from approximately 1 pm to 3 pm, so Flight 90s departure was delayed about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-200, was loaded with 74 passengers, including three infants and five crew. Tirado, meanwhile . The crash prompted airlines to adopt strict policies ensuring inexperienced captains are paired with experienced co-pilots. . FAA. The aircraft traveled almost half a mile (800 m) farther down the runway than is customary before liftoff was accomplished. Motorists stuck in traffic on the bridge and millions of others watching network newscasts looked on, horrified, as the few who survived the 737's initial plunge into the river struggled amid wreckage and ice for an agonizingly long half-hour. "The adrenaline was flowing," he recalled. Returning to GTE 18 months later after intense physical therapy. Stiley, a father of six, has eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, one of whom recently started kindergarten. "My next feeling was that I was just floating through white and I felt like I was dying and I just thought I'm not really ready to die," she told ABCNEWS back in 1982. A few people who had been seated near the rear of the plane clung to debris, screaming for help. The day was also marked by stunning acts of heroism. The images would becomeseared intothe memories of Washingtonians through the years: the Potomac swallowing the planeexcept for a slice of its tail section;the dazedeyes of a passenger, her head barely abovewater as she gripped a safety ring during a rescue attempt;a truck hanging over the bridge after being struck by the jetliner;a survivor clinging to a rope line dangled from a U.S. Park Policehelicopter. He left within two weeks. Were they nervous to fly in these conditions, or just dreaming about the sunny weather that awaited them in Florida? 'I've only been here in America a month and already I'm there,' Keefer quoted him as saying. I want to celebrate these elms which have been spared by the plague, these survivors of a once flourishing tribe commemorated by all the Elm Streets in America. Exploring the strange and unusual in Northern Virginia, on Im Not Really Ready to Die: The Air Florida 90 Crash of 1982, Arresting Great Value James Bond: The Aldrich Ames House. Below-freezing waters and heavy ice made swimming out to them all but impossible. Seventy-eight passengers, motorists and crew members died. At this point, flight controllers were aware only that the plane had disappeared from radar and was not responding to radio calls, but had no idea of either what had happened or the plane's location. As passengers screamed, the rear of the aircraft struck a guardrail and several cars on the bridge. Several persons said that he was the type of pilot who would not hesitate to speak up if he knew something specific was wrong with flight operations. The early rush hour also meant that trains on the Washington Metro were full when just 30 minutes after Flight 90 crashed, the Metro suffered its first fatal crash, at Federal Triangle station. He spends about two of every six weeks there and considers it his home. Partial blame was placed on the young, inexperienced flight crew, who had a combined age of only 65 and had begun their careers as commercial pilots less than five years earlier. The alarm would blare incessantly at 5 am, and I would reach over in a blind haze to hit snooze just to get a couple of precious seconds of extra sleep. It made me feel like I was giving something.". Stiley, then a vice president at General Telephone & Electronics, had grim news to deliver to employees in Huntsville, Ala. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. With a sickening sound that witnesses likened to a pane of glass shattering, the burning aircraft hit the river, broke apart and began to sink. The National Law Enforcement Museum, which opened in Washington, DC, in 2018, has footage of the crash on display along with interviews of survivors and other first-hand accounts. On this day, 40 years ago, Air Florida Flight 90 was preparing to depart Washington D.C. en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Well, I was a commuter, before COVID. Priscilla Tirado was too weak to grab the line when the helicopter dropped the line to her again. For the survivors, life was forever changed. [4]:2, The Boeing 737 was deiced with a mixture of heated water and monopropylene glycol by American Airlines, under a ground-service agreement with Air Florida. [4]:5758, The plane had trouble leaving the gate when the ground-services tow motor could not get traction on the ice. I dont know how people could go through something like this without faith, she said. The survivors received substantial, undisclosed settlements, as did the families of the 74 who perished on the plane and the four motorists who died. Though all of this, I cant help but wonder what the 79 passengers aboard were thinking. In fact, the plane had visible snow on the wings and the fuselage at the time of takeoff. He was promoted to captain in August 1980. The National Geographic Channel series Seconds From Disaster also dramatized the accident entitled "Plane Crash in the Potomac". Tirado was 43 and traveling with her husband and 2-month old son. All anyone could do was tell the survivors was to hold on not to give up hope. At the same time, several military personnel from the Pentagon - Steve Raynes, Aldo De La Cruz and Steve Bell - ran down to the water's edge to help Olian. The NTSB concluded that the accident was not survivable. Roger Olian, a sheet metal worker ensnared in a nearby traffic jam,was believed to be the first person to jump into the waterwith a rope entwined around his waist, but he had to be reeled back in when he got stuck on ice. Emergency Response and Rescue of Survivors. One pilot is designated the pilot flying (PF) and the other as pilot not flying (PNF); however, the PIC retains the ultimate authority for all aircraft operations and safety. [4]:11, The first officer, Roger A. Pettit, aged 31, was hired by Air Florida on October 3, 1980, as a first officer on the Boeing 737. Five people aboard the plane survived the day. When the plane became airborne, Stiley told his co-worker (and survivor) Nikki Felch to assume the crash position, with some nearby passengers following their example.[8]. Duncan was a flight attendant aboard Air Florida Flight 90 when it scraped a bridge and crashed into the river on Jan. 13, 1982. Ken Kaye of the South Florida Sun Sentinel said, "The Air Florida accident led to the carrier's eventual demise. Priscilla Tirado, now 43, survived the crash, but lost her 2-month-old son and husband in the crash. As the helicopter pulled the three through the water and blocks of ice toward shore, both Tirado and Felch lost their grip and fell back into the water. For the five survivors of Air Florida's crash into the 14th Street bridge and plunge into the icy Potomac River 10 years ago, the healing of shattered bodies is nearly done. Thank you for writing about this tragedy. But aTV crew stuck in gridlocked traffic nearbycaptured the graphic footage after theBoeing 737 struck the 14th Street Bridge, just a few miles from the White House. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. [27] Thomas Canning, a senior airline analyst for Standard & Poor's, said, "I don't believe one crash can make or break an airline; there were a lot of other factors involved in Air Florida's bankruptcy. [11] His body and those of the other occupants were recovered later. Her most vivid memories of the crash and aftermath are of panic, and then of praying for the first time in her life. For comparison, the temperature of the water the night the Titanic sank was 28 degrees. Joseph Stiley, now 72, also remembers the day as being transformative. The pilot moved him across the ice while avoiding the sides of the bridge. In 1985, the 14th Street Bridge was renamed the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge in his honor. He said Tirado had worked as a cement mason in Washington the past two months but was in the process of moving to Tampa. They set throttle power too low because they had failed to turn on an engine-warming device. "I wasn't looking for publicity," he said in a recent interview. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. will never be normal again," said Hamilton, 51, of Melbourne Beach, Fla. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. That afternoon, the plane was to return to Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport in Dania, Florida, with an intermediate stop at Tampa International Airport. The fifth survivor, Tirado, 32, was screaming "my baby, my baby" while thrashing in the icy Potomac, recalled Felch, who was by her side. [4]:55. This morning, she was listed as out of danger. Four passengers and one flight attendant were rescued; four motorists on the bridge were killed. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Air Florida Flight 90. So more than once while I crossed over the Potomac, I wondered if there had ever been an accident at National Airport. no one from the front of the plane survived. In an interview after the crash, Duncan said, My next feeling was that I was just floating through white and I felt like I was dying and I just thought Im not really ready to die. She, along with Stiley and Hamilton, were rescued from a lifeline thrown from a helicopter. Life vests were dropped, then a flotation ball. I remember coming out of the airplane. We asked him to not try again, but he insisted. A sixth person initially survived the crash but, according to U.S. Park Police helicopter rescuers, refused their lifeline, indicating it should go to the others. CNN had just introduced what became a new phenomenon the 24-hour news channel. He was real good for me.". [26], Air Florida began lowering its service and reducing the number of its employees to cope with decreasing finances and fare wars. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? I wanted out in the worst way.. The plane vibrated violently as it failed to gain much speed or altitude. The National Transportation Safety Board report stated that the deicing process used was inconsistent with recommended practices so the plane was not deiced properly. The instruments were not working correctly, which the first officer noted, but the captain brushed him off. But then, I felt like that was the first time I felt Gods presence, she said. [4]:78, The investigation following the crash, especially regarding the failure of the captain to respond to crew concerns about the deicing procedure, led to a number of reforms in pilot-training regulations. The crash occurred in a blinding snowstorm, just 30 minutes before the only fatal subway crash in Metro's history, on a day that permanently shaped the concept of disaster for Washingtonians. Chester captured Lenny Skutnik's memorable plunge to pull Priscilla Tirado from the icy water. I never knew that it actually had a name until nowor that it was named after an incredible man who gave his life so selflessly only a few feet from where thousands of commuters cross into DC every day. At first, "I felt guilty for surviving," said Moore, who lives in Miami. [4]:11, Alternating the role of "primary pilot" between the pilot in command (PIC), the captain, and second in command (SIC), the first officer, is customary in commercial airline operations, with pilots swapping roles after each leg. In 2003, the new Arland D. Williams Jr. It was depressing," she said Tuesday following her release from jail. At least the next time I commute into the city I can reflect on his bravery instead of impending disaster. To me, that bridge was always the 14th Street Bridge. Keefer said his sister found his daughter in critical condition at the National Orthopedic ad Rehabilitation Hospital in Arlington, Va. Duncan woke up in the hospital the morning after the crash without knowing what had really happened. But to celebrate them is to be silent about the people who sit and sleep underneath them, the homeless poor who are hauled away by the city like trash, except it has no place to dump them. When all the other survivors had been rescued, the helicopter went back for him. [4]:5 The following is a transcript of Flight 90's cockpit voice recorder during the plane's acceleration down the runway. I was in DC that day on a job interview, a part of which was cancelled because of the storm. I went back to my room and watched the rescue of the few on my tv in my hotel in rosslyn. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Lennie Skutnik jumped into the freezing water to pull her to shore as. Area governments have improved rescue coordination. Air Florida Flight 90 Survivors WASHINGTON D.C. - NOVEMBER 15: (NO U.S. TABLOID SALES) Air Florida Flight 90 survivors Priscilla Tirado (L) and Lenny Skutnik (R) pose for a photo on November 15, 1982 in Washington, DC. Someone had backed up their jeep and we picked him up and put him in there. [4]:61. [9] Ambulances attempting to reach the crash site were even driven down the sidewalk in front of the White House. That agreement specified that covers for the pitot tubes, static ports, and engine inlets had to be used, but the American Airlines employees failed to comply with those rules. To the copter's two-man Park Police crew, he seemed the most alert. [4], Wheaton was described by fellow pilots as a quiet person, with good operational skills and knowledge, who had operated well in high-workload flying situations. . I still remember hearing about it at work. This oversight was the first of many from the crew that contributed to the accident. Priscilla Tirado was too weak to grab the line when the helicopter dropped the line to her . 'He had never been on an airplane until he left Madrid to fly to Washington,' he said. At 22, she had been a self-described party girl. Thus, there was a massive backup of traffic on almost all of the city's roads, making it very difficult for ambulances to reach the crash site. Marilyn Nichols, a stewardess, has just learned she is pregnant. Required fields are marked *. He was building a cement sidewalk at George Bush's house.'. There are no markers or plaques commemorating him. She soon settled into the old rhythm and took it in stride when a passenger at National Airport asked her whether his ticket was correct and the flight listed was not destined for the 14th Street Bridge. I can add that to the list of things I didnt know, but know now . The crash was also dramatized in the 1984 made-for-TV movie Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac. He resumed his duties after passing a retest on August 27, 1980. Every Jan. 13 is depressing for Priscilla Tirado, who lost her 9-week-old son and husband in the crash. Don Usher and Gene Windsor,two Park Police helicopter pilots, managed to pull out four people. A lot of people were going to lose their jobs, Stiley said. [5] This system uses heat from the engines to prevent sensors from freezing, ensuring accurate readings. "She lost the most," Moore said. The Coast Guard's 65-foot (20 m) harbor tugboat Capstan (WYTL 65601) and its crew were based nearby; their duties include icebreaking and responding to water rescues. 15:59:49 CAM-1 Holler if you need the wipers. But Williams would drown after dramaticallypassingthehelicopter rescue ropeto others. One eyewitness, a driver on the 14th Street Bridge that day, stated that the planes nose was up and the tail was down. Seventy-eight passengers, motorists and crew members died. He changed seats quickly, but still took the flight. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.Bible: New Testament, Matthew 6:9-13. I remember seeing the lights in the hospital. The captain dismissed these concerns and let the takeoff proceed. I can't help it," Tirado was quoted as saying at the time. 16:00:48 CAM-1 Come on forward.forward, just barely climb. Replied pilot Larry Wheaton: "I know it.". CLEARWATER, FLA., JAN. 14 -- A woman who survived the 1982 Air Florida crash in the District of Columbia that claimed her husband and infant son was arrested on alcohol and drug charges on the fifth anniversary of that tragedy. This past spring, two of the five survivors died of natural causes. 16:00:10 CAM-2 Naw, I don't think that's right. She was the lone crew member to survive. Investigators determined that plenty of time and space on the runway remained for the captain to have abandoned the takeoff, and criticized his refusal to listen to his first officer, who was correct that the instrument panel readings were wrong. [4]:13 It reopened at noon under marginal conditions as the snowfall began to slacken. According to the affidavits, she said she had been drinking and smoking marijuana and crack, a potent form of cocaine. I was kind of afraid of God at that point, she said recently. Give us this day our daily bread. Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight operated by Air Florida from Washington National Airport (now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) to Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport, with an intermediate stopover at Tampa International Airport. Lennie Skutnik jumped into the freezing water to pull her to shore as television cameras recorded the heart-stopping drama. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his photography. Many federal offices in downtown Washington had closed early that day in response to quickly developing blizzard conditions. Hamilton, who started an Amway business four years ago, recalls the first jet he boarded after the accident. Passenger Bert Hamilton, who was floating in the water nearby, was the first to be pulled from the water. [7], Adding to the plane's troubles was the pilots' decision to maneuver closely behind a DC-9 that was taxiing just ahead of them prior to takeoff, due to their mistaken belief that the warmth from the DC-9's engines would melt the snow and ice that had accumulated on Flight 90's wings. As the plane became briefly airborne, the voice recorder picked up the following from the cockpit, with the sound of the stick-shaker (a device that warns that the plane is in danger of stalling) in the background: 16:00:39 [SOUND OF STICKSHAKER STARTS AND CONTINUES UNTIL IMPACT]. 2022-01-13. Staff researcher Bridget Roeber contributed to this report. On Sunday, the nation's capital was pummeled with up to 8inches of snow, the first significant winter storm inWashington in more than three years. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. WASHINGTON Thirty years ago Kelly Duncan was clinging to flotsam in the icy Potomac, thinking about her life. His divorce. Martin Leonard Skutnik III (born 1953 in Mississippi, known as Lenny) is a retired employee of the United States Congressional Budget Office who, on January 13, 1982, saved the life of Priscilla Tirado following the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into the frozen Potomac River, Washington, D.C. As passengers were being rescued, Tirado was too weak to take hold of the line dropped from a helicopter. [12], The PBS series Nova featured the crash in season 2, episode 2, of the TV show Why Planes Crash, in an episode called "Brush With Death".[32]. Joe Stiley told ABCNEWS in 1982, that the freezing water jarred him into consciousness. Virtually everyone who was in the area that day recalls where they were when they heard the news.

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