On the DC side.....................the point the plane had to hit the Potomac is just west of east and west Potomac park...........US park police..............is probably those of East Potomac park..............a man made island...............where the Jeff memorial..............and the Geo. Mason memorial..........are at the very north...........Haines Point...........the very south.....................once home to a statue of a giant...............now at Ft. Washington, MD..................Nat. harbor...........a function of the sea................

A United States Park Police helicopter arrrived minutes later. Its crew lowered a life preserver and began to haul survivors to shore.

One survivor lost her grip on the lifeline and struggled in the water. Lenny Skutnik, an onlooker on the bank of the river, jumped into the icy water and swam out and rescued her.

Another passenger, a man about 50 years old, passed the helicopter’s life line several times to others, saving their lives. When the helicopter went back to get him, he had gone under.

Only five of the 79 on board Flight 90 survived the ordeal. Four commuters on the 14th Street Bridge were also killed. The total death toll was 78.