43 years ago, another D.C. plane crash and dramatic rescue on the Potomac River

WASHINGTON – A dramatic plane crash in frigid temperatures. And a search and rescue that saved lives on the same partially frozen Potomac River.

Almost 43 years ago to the day, tragedy struck when a commercial jet ? Air Florida Flight 90 ? plunged into icy waters shortly after an afternoon takeoff from the same airport where a passenger jet with 64 people aboard collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night.

That plane, enroute from what was then Washington National Airport to south Florida, struck the 14th Street Bridge just a few miles from the White House, crushing multiple cars and killing four motorists.

Seventy of the passengers and four of the five crew members aboard the Boeing 737 also were killed on Jan. 13, 1982, the FAA said. But five others escaped the broken fuselage of the sinking and waterlogged plane in a dramatic rescue that played out on live television.

The crash occurred amid a severe winter storm that had paralyzed the city with heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures. A TV crew stuck in gridlocked traffic nearby captured the graphic footage.

The plane, groaning to gain altitude, struck the massive bridge connecting Arlington with the District, congested with traffic at the time, and then catapulted into the water.

The drama captured on TV that afternoon transfixed Washington, and the nation.

Some of the scenes that day:

The Potomac swallowing the plane except for a small piece of its tail section. Survivors trying to stay afloat in the water amid daring rescue attempts. Two of them clinging to separate ropes dangling from the same U.S. Park Police helicopter. A truck hanging precipitously over the bridge after being struck by the plane.

Causes of the 1982 crash

Investigations would later find that severe weather conditions contributed to the crash, along with some human error.

A massive snowstorm had blanketed Washington with ice and snow. That led to delays at the airport, now known as Reagan Washington National Airport, leading to flight delays forcing beleaguered crews to de-ice aircraft multiple times.

In the case of Flight 90, it wasn't de-iced enough, especially because it had to wait so long for takeoff, the FAA said.

“Loss of control was determined to be due to reduction in aerodynamic lift resulting from ice and snow that had accumulated on the airplane's wings during prolonged ground operation at National Airport," one FAA report said.

In other words, the jet operated by the now-defunct Air Florida "experienced difficulty in climbing . . . and subsequently stalled," concluded another FAA report. And when the pilots tried to clear the bridge, they failed, striking it with full force, according to a Federal Aviation Administration “lessons learned” report.

"People were screaming, and then it got very quiet," Nikki Felch, one of the survivors of the crash, told the News4 local TV station in the aftermath.

Cameras captured heart-wrenching footage, including that of Priscilla Tirado, a passenger on the flight whose husband and 2-month-old baby died in the crash.

Cold, weak and blinded by jet fuel, Tirado was barely hanging onto a dangling life preserver before her grip gave out. Lenny Skutnik, a bystander who worked for the government, saw her distress and dove into the water, grabbed Tirado and dragged her to shore. The cameras were rolling.

The others who survived owed their lives to other daring rescues, some by National Park Service employees and everyday passersby like Skutnik who rushed over to help.

One of the most notable heroes that day was Arland D. Williams, Jr., a passenger aboard the flight who initially survived the crash. He died, authorities believe, while trying to help others to safety.

Rescue operators said Williams selflessly passed the helicopter lifelines they dangled down to five of his fellow passengers.

In June 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan honored Williams, a 46-year-old Federal Reserve bank examiner from Atlanta, as a “hero who gave his life that others might live.”

“You can live with tremendous pride,” Reagan told Williams’ parents and his two children as he posthumously awarded Williams the Coast Guard’s Gold Lifesaving Medal at a ceremony in the Oval Office.

Now, 43 years later, passersby on the bridge, if they look close enough, can see that the bridge has been renamed. It is now officially known as the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 43 years ago: Another plane crash and rescue on the Potomac