Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac 1984

The film follows a diverse group of people whose lives will collide on January 13, 1982, aboard Air Florida Flight 90 as it makes a fateful journey from Washington, D.C. to Fort Lauderdale. At the center of this interwoven tapestry are Marilyn Nichols, Jamie Rose, a stewardess who has just learned she is pregnant, and a handful of other travelers whose personal stories are about to be rewritten by a single catastrophic moment. Marilyn’s arc begins alongside Priscilla Tirado and her husband Jose, Dinah Manoff and Richard Beauchamp, who are leaving for Florida to start a new job, and Nikki Felch, Jeannetta Arnette, who is set for a trip with her boss to Alabama. The mood is ordinary, the plans are hopeful, and the city below holds its own quiet dramas as the plane prepares for takeoff.

On board, the flight crew and passengers include Kelly Duncan, Kathleen Wilhoite, and Captain Larry Wheaton, James Whitmore Jr., among others who bring their own routines and relationships to the cabin. Roger Olian, Richard Masur, works as a maintenance man at a hospital and is married to Donna Olian, Jane Kaczmarek, who works at a naval recruitment office, while Arland Williams, Donnelly Rhodes travels with a clear purpose in his mind. The cast also includes Joe Stiley, Stephen Macht, and Bert Hamilton, Barry Corbin, whose paths toward Florida seem ordinary but carry the weight of unspoken worries, hopes, and obligations.

The departure from Florida—and the flight itself—unfold against a backdrop of a blinding snowstorm that hovers over Washington National Airport. As the passengers settle in, ice begins to accumulate on the wings and sensors, but the crewmembers’ safety briefing is largely ignored in the rush to depart. De-icing is performed poorly, and the pilots contend with a misread speed as the aircraft tries to lift off. The Boeing 737-222 struggles to gain altitude, stalling at a mere 352 feet, and it slams into the 14th Street Bridge before plunging into the Potomac River. The sudden crisis throws the cabin into chaos, yet a core group of passengers clings to a fragment of wreckage in the freezing water, fighting for survival.

On the surface of the river, courage and confusion collide as rescuers race against time. Roger Olian, who happened to be on the nearby riverbank, dives into the icy water to assist, while rescue pilots Donald Usher and Melvin Windsor maneuver a helicopter toward the wreckage. They manage to pull Bert Hamilton and others from the frigid water, but the rescue attempts grow complicated as line after line of rope is passed from one survivor to another in a desperate bid to reach safety. Joe Stiley, Nikki Felch, Priscilla Tirado, and Kelly Duncan find themselves drawn into the precarious sequence of pulls, while a bystander, Lenny Skutnik, bravely leaps in to help Priscilla toward shore.

The most wrenching moment of the night arrives as Arland Williams, ever the intercessor, repeatedly passes the rescue line to others, refusing to abandon anyone in the water. Though the team manages to save Joe, Nikki, and Priscilla, Arland ultimately sinks beneath the river’s surface and dies, a stark reminder of the human cost embedded in every rescue attempt. The movie does not spare the details of the toll this tragedy exacts on the survivors and the rescuer crew, who must confront the shock, fear, and grief of those moments while the freezing night gives way to the grim reality of what happened.

Back on solid ground, the aftermath unfolds in parallel. In Florida, Marilyn Nichols’s husband Larry receives the devastating news from Air Florida employees that his wife did not survive the crash. The emotional ripple extends outward as the survivors are dispersed to different hospitals and begin the slow process of processing what has occurred. Families and friends begin to come to terms with their losses and questions, while the survivors themselves are faced with the daunting task of rebuilding their lives after the events of that day.

Throughout the narrative, the film balances intimate human perspectives with the larger, urgent questions raised by a disaster in an era before the widespread use of digital media to capture every detail. The interplay between duty, love, and the instinct to protect others is explored through a tapestry of relationships: a pregnant stewardess and the hopes carried in her pregnancy; a nurse and his wife who are trying to secure a future; a young woman who is bound for a life with her boss; and a line of men and women who step into danger without hesitation. The tension between routine and catastrophe is persistent, yet the story remains anchored in the everyday humanity of its characters.

In the end, the film returns to the moment when life’s ordinary commitments—marriages, jobs, and plans for the weekend—are reframed by an extraordinary event. The survivors’ journeys are depicted with a sober, respectful tone, honoring both the people who lived and those who lost their lives. The emotional weight sits alongside the clinical details of the crash and rescue, creating a portrayal that is both informative and deeply human. While the immediate tragedy is undeniable, the film also touches on the way communities respond—neighbors, colleagues, and strangers coming together—after such a devastating incident. The result is a somber meditation on fate, resilience, and the ways in which strangers can become lifelines in the darkest hours.