This was during the Reagan admin......here in Dc..............it took off from Nat. airport.............which is in Virginia.............Crystal City............went north........about a mile..........hit the 14th st. bridge..........landed in the Potomac river......................................

Now.........anyone familiar with DC............without even looking at a map...........could tell u where..........given the above................that plane had to sink into the Potomac..................right next to the Tidal basin..........................and the Jeff memorial............

To complicate matters, the plane’s takeoff was to the north, which requires a hard left turn over the 14th Street bridge to follow the course of the Potomac River.

The jet flew about one mile before it stalled. At 4:01 p.m., it slammed into the top of the 14th Street Bridge, crushing and scattering several vehicles. The 737 jet plunged over the bridge and into the ice-covered Potomac River.

The jet broke into multiple pieces as it shattered through the ice and quickly disappeared into the river. In the icy water, about a dozen surviving passengers bobbed helplessly in the frigid water.

A video summary of the crash from WUSA-9 News, produced in 2007 andposted on YouTube.

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.

Ice on the wings of the Air Florida jet was blamed as the cause for the crash.