Latest news with #Flight90
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First responders coping with emotions after deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport
ARLINGTON, Va. () — First responders, both past and present, are coping with heavy emotions from the grueling recovery efforts after the deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport (DCA) late last month. Nearing three weeks since an American Airlines flight collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, those incredibly difficult recovery efforts to bring the bodies of all 67 victims to shore have come to an end, but the healing process is only just beginning. 'There's physical scars and, there's emotional scars that people have as a result of this tragedy,' said David Hoagland, president of the D.C. Firefighters Association. DC-area figure skaters unite after deadly collision near Reagan National Airport For him, and hundreds of other first responders who showed up to help in the hours that followed the crash it was unlike any call they'd ever responded to. 'This was obviously a very catastrophic event. Our members worked for a very long time on the scene under extremely hazardous conditions. There was jet fuel throughout the water. There was debris from the airplane. Everybody drove for several hours in icy conditions,' Hoagland DC Fire and EMS Department Foundation said it'll be there to help first responders heal and provide ongoing mental health support. 'The struggles that they have after an event like this can happen today, they can happen six months from now, they can happen six years from now,' said Amy Mauro, the foundation's executive director. Some former first responders said those images and those feelings don't ever really go away. Don Usher was the pilot of U.S. Park Police helicopter Eagle 1 rescuing people from the Potomac River after Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge back on a snowy, icy day in 1982. He recalls the entire rescue operation that day in great detail. 'These aircraft accidents are always just a series of little events that, but for one thing, might have changed the entire outcome,' Usher said. 'Safety must not be compromised': DC-area lawmakers express concern over DOGE interfering with FAA For him, the recent headlines have reopened old wounds, remembering both the remarkable rescues and the lives lost 43 years ago. 'For me, it was just shock and then absolute sorrow, because here we were, going through another process in the Potomac River, the loss of innocent life in an airplane crash that probably didn't have to happen, just like Air Florida didn't really have to happen,' he said. The DC Fire and EMS Foundation is always accepting donations, and proceeds from the upcoming Legacy on Ice figure skating event at Capital One Arena will benefit first responders impacted by the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hero who saved survivors of 1982 Air Florida crash had been a Boca Raton bank president
There they floated. Scared. Traumatized. Six people had just survived the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into a bridge over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., in January 1982. They hung on to the jet's damaged tail section in the freezing water. Five of them would live because the sixth, one-by-one, would hand them a life ring attached to a rope hanging from a helicopter. When the copter came back a sixth time, the man had slipped into the water to his death. This hero, under normal circumstances, was terrified of the water and couldn't swim. Authorities believed it was Arland Williams Jr., 46, a former Boca Raton bank president, who'd flown into Washington to consult with a superior at the Federal Reserve. Williams at that time was a bank examiner working for the Fed in Atlanta. DC plane clash: How Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac in 1982 The Boeing 737 on Jan. 13, 1982 couldn't climb high enough during takeoff from what was then Washington National Airport because of icing on the wings amid a blizzard. On a January day 43 years later, another jet would collide with an Army helicopter on its descent to Reagan Washington National, killing all 67 people on the two aircraft. It, too, would send people into the icy Potomac. Officials were never able to say definitively that Williams was the hero who saved the five lone survivors of the crash, but evidence suggests he was. He was the only person of the 78 people who perished — 74 on the plane and four commuters on the 14th Street Bridge — to die from drowning and exposure to the cold. The description from a helicopter paramedic, who said he came as close as a foot from the man, fit Williams. The five survivors were: Kelly Duncan, 22, a flight attendant based in Miami. She didn't remember seeing the man handing over the life ring. She was so cold her temperature didn't register on thermometer when she reached the shore, a relative said. Priscilla Tirado, 23, a Spanish woman who had lost her husband, Jose, and her 2-month-old son, Jason, in the crash. They had been on their way to Fort Lauderdale before heading back to Spain. Joseph Stiley, 42, of Alexandria, Virginia, a pilot for General Telephone & Electronics heading to Tampa for business. Patricia Felch, 27, of Herndon, Virginia, Stiley's secretary. Bert Hamilton, 43, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, flying to Tampa on business for Fairchild Industries. The flight's final destination was Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with a stopover in Tampa. Williams had been on his way to Tampa to celebrate the birthday of his fiancée's son. Carole Biggs launched a campaign to get official recognition for Williams' heroism. But Park Service officials were concerned about asking their employees to take a risk of getting the identification wrong. Williams' 16-year-old son, Arland "Trey" Williams III, had been watching the news reports of the crash with his 17-year-old sister, Leslie Ann, and his mother, Williams' ex-wife, not knowing his father was onboard. "If he did die that way, I'm very proud he did," the teen said the next day. Williams had been the president of First Community Bank of Boca Raton six years earlier, then had taken the job at the Fed. He'd moved to Palm Beach County in 1972 to work for First National Bank & Trust Co. in Lake Worth and was transferred to be president of the Boca Raton bank from 1973 to 1975. His friend, William McDonald, had convinced Williams to come to South Florida after they'd roomed together as assistant bank examiners in Indianapolis. "I thought about Arland when I found out he was on the plane — and when I heard there was a hero and they described him, I just knew it was Arland," William McDonald of Jupiter, who'd known Williams for years, said in 1982. "The best news in the wake of all this is that the hero could be Arland — that makes me feel good." Holly Baltz, who has a passion for history, is a content editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 1982 Air Florida crash hero who saved 5 had been Boca Raton banker
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Survivor of 1982 DC plane crash credits pilot school lesson with saving his life
A survivor of a deadly 1982 plane crash into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., says the Jan. 29 plane collision brought back memories of his unlikely survival more than 40 years ago. The recent collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 with an Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac killed every person aboard both aircraft, a total of 64 people. The collision had some jarring similarities to the Jan. 13, 1982, crash that killed 78 people. Joseph Stiley, 86, is one of five people who survived that disaster, when Air Florida Flight 90 left what is now Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) and struck the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., at which point it crashed into the icy Potomac. "The memories just make me realize how lucky I am. I did what I had to do, and it worked," Stiley told People. "I also say to myself, 'Joe, you've analyzed, and you made a decision, and then it kept you alive.'" Army Saw Spike In Deadly Aviation Crashes Year Before Dc Plane Crash Disaster Siley was a licensed pilot at the time and knew to curl into a ball as passengers braced for impact while others sat straight up, he recalled. Read On The Fox News App "I was a busy flight instructor, and I specialize in teaching aeronautics and instruments. ... I went through a survival school for pilots," Stiley told People. "I knew we were in deep s--- before we were off the runway." Victims Identified In Dc Plane Crash Involving American Airlines Jet And Military Helicopter The 86-year-old broke 60 bones in the crash and remains handicapped to this day. "I wrapped myself in a little ball and got down and put my back against the seat in front of me with my hands over my head," he told the outlet. "All the fingers on my left hand and a couple of them on my right hand got broken, so it was a good thing I had my fingers where they were." Dc Plane Crash Timeline: Midair Collision Involves 67 Passengers, Crew Members, Soldiers At the time of the Flight 90 disaster, Stiley was working for General Telephone & Electronics, and his assistant, the late Patricia Felch, was on the flight with him. Felch also miraculously survived. Stiley said he lost consciousness when the plane made impact with the Potomac but awoke when he felt water entering his nose and mouth. The plane had cracked open near his seat, and he told Felch to hold onto his leg as they fled the destroyed aircraft. Along the way, he grabbed another survivor, Priscilla Tirado, who lost her son and baby in the crash, according to People. Dc Plane Crash: Airport Employees Arrested Over Leaked Video Of Midair Collision "She was looking for her baby, who was the last body recovered all the way down in the Chesapeake Bay a week later," Stiley said. When asked his thoughts on the recent D.C. collision, Stiley told People his "heart goes out to all the families, and it goes out to those that died. "My biggest concern now is for the probable children that have just lost a parent ... and, of course, the spouses," he told the outlet. WATCH: VIDEO APPEARS TO SHOW MIDAIR PLANE CRASH AT DCA The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the Jan. 29 collision of the American Airlines passenger flight and military Black Hawk. There have been at least 238 deaths and 227 injuries from non-combat U.S. military aircraft crashes since 2012, according to the FAA. There have also been multiple "close call" incidents at DCA since article source: Survivor of 1982 DC plane crash credits pilot school lesson with saving his life
Fox News
08-02-2025
- General
- Fox News
Survivor of 1982 DC plane crash credits pilot school lesson with saving his life
A survivor of a deadly 1982 plane crash into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., says the Jan. 29 plane collision brought back memories of his unlikely survival more than 40 years ago. The recent collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 with an Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac killed every person aboard both aircraft, a total of 64 people. The collision had some jarring similarities to the Jan. 13, 1982, crash that killed 78 people. Joseph Stiley, 86, is one of five people who survived that disaster, when Air Florida Flight 90 left what is now Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) and struck the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., at which point it crashed into the icy Potomac. "The memories just make me realize how lucky I am. I did what I had to do, and it worked," Stiley told People. "I also say to myself, 'Joe, you've analyzed, and you made a decision, and then it kept you alive.'" Siley was a licensed pilot at the time and knew to curl into a ball as passengers braced for impact while others sat straight up, he recalled. "I was a busy flight instructor, and I specialize in teaching aeronautics and instruments. ... I went through a survival school for pilots," Stiley told People. "I knew we were in deep s--- before we were off the runway." The 86-year-old broke 60 bones in the crash and remains handicapped to this day. "I wrapped myself in a little ball and got down and put my back against the seat in front of me with my hands over my head," he told the outlet. "All the fingers on my left hand and a couple of them on my right hand got broken, so it was a good thing I had my fingers where they were." At the time of the Flight 90 disaster, Stiley was working for General Telephone & Electronics, and his assistant, the late Patricia Felch, was on the flight with him. Felch also miraculously survived. Stiley said he lost consciousness when the plane made impact with the Potomac but awoke when he felt water entering his nose and mouth. The plane had cracked open near his seat, and he told Felch to hold onto his leg as they fled the destroyed aircraft. Along the way, he grabbed another survivor, Priscilla Tirado, who lost her son and baby in the crash, according to People. "She was looking for her baby, who was the last body recovered all the way down in the Chesapeake Bay a week later," Stiley said. When asked his thoughts on the recent D.C. collision, Stiley told People his "heart goes out to all the families, and it goes out to those that died. "My biggest concern now is for the probable children that have just lost a parent ... and, of course, the spouses," he told the outlet. WATCH: VIDEO APPEARS TO SHOW MIDAIR PLANE CRASH AT DCA The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the Jan. 29 collision of the American Airlines passenger flight and military Black Hawk. There have been at least 238 deaths and 227 injuries from non-combat U.S. military aircraft crashes since 2012, according to the FAA. There have also been multiple "close call" incidents at DCA since 2023.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawrence O'Donnell Spots 'Profoundly Ignorant' Way Trump Made History After D.C. Plane Crash
MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday knocked President Donald Trump's 'completely indiscriminate' act of throwing around accusations at a press briefing tied to the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C. 'It is the first time in history that a president in the United States has assigned blame for an aviation accident on his own, immediately, based entirely on his own profoundly, ignorant, prejudiced guess,' said O'Donnell of Trump, who blamed diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for the midair collision. O'Donnell stacked Trump's move up against Democrats who didn't blame Ronald Reagan for Air Florida Flight 90 crashing into a D.C. bridge and falling into an icy Potomac River below in 1982. The crash left 78 people dead. The crash occurred just months after the then-president made what the MSNBC host called 'the single stupidest, tough guy move' on domestic policy in the '80s when he fired thousands of air traffic controllers amid a labor dispute. O'Donnell then went after Trump for thinking he knew the 'answers' to Wednesday's crash despite an investigation just getting underway. 'Every previous president in reacting to such events, such tragedies, has always begun with sympathy including the only president who could have been blamed for an accidental plane crash and wasn't,' he declared before playing a 1982 clip of Reagan remarking on Lenny Skutnik, a bystander to the Air Florida crash. Skutnik, a Congressional Budget Office employee at the time of the crash, dived into the Potomac River and pulled Priscilla Tirado out of the Potomac River. Reagan would later invite Skutnik to his State of the Union address less than two weeks later. 'Lenny Skutnik was the worst thing you can be in Donald Trump's Washington,' said O'Donnell of the federal worker who became 'an American hero' and served the government for decades before his retirement in 2010. O'Donnell turned to a 1982 article published seven months after the crash in The New York Times where Skutnik was asked if he'd do the rescue again. 'I separate it into two parts,' Skutnik told the Times. 'The rescue, I'd do again in a minute. But all the stuff that came after, the fame and all that, I could do without. If it ever happened again, I wish the cameras weren't there. The whole thing has been kind of blown out of proportion.' O'Donnell weighed in on Skutnik's quote, 'There's nothing about Lenny Skutnik — not his humility, not his heroism, nothing about him that Donald Trump could ever understand.' Marco Rubio Reveals Just How Serious Trump Is About Buying Greenland Ex-Prosecutor Thinks Trump Is Accidentally Creating The Very Thing He Fears 'Irony Is Dead': Lara Trump Slammed After Clueless Complaint About 'Competence'
