In this chilling episode of The Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom and Mike take listeners back to one of the most haunting winter aviation disasters in U.S. history — Air Florida Flight 90, the Boeing 737 that crashed into the icy Potomac River moments after takeoff from Washington National Airport...
In this chilling episode of The Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom and Mike take listeners back to one of the most haunting winter aviation disasters in U.S. history — Air Florida Flight 90, the Boeing 737 that crashed into the icy Potomac River moments after takeoff from Washington National Airport in 1982.
This episode explores how improper de-icing, pilot error, and misjudged procedures led to tragedy — and how brave civilians and first responders turned a day of horror into a story of heroism and sacrifice.
Tom, an active airline pilot, also revisits key winter operations procedures from last week’s episode — including de-icing fluids, taxi operations in snow, and engine anti-ice techniques — breaking down what went wrong that fateful day and what modern crews do differently now.
🧊 Inside This Episode:
The deadly chain of errors behind Flight 90’s failed takeoff
Why winter ops training is critical for every airline pilot
Heroic rescues from the frozen Potomac that inspired the nation
How Air Florida’s mistakes reshaped cold-weather flight protocols
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