A winter storm, rushed decisions, and weak training collided as Air Florida Flight 90 lifted into bad data and iced wings, then fell into the Potomac. We trace the chain of errors, the rescue that followed, and the reforms that reshaped winter flying.
• deregulation pressures and rapid growth at Air Florida
• crew backgrounds and cockpit culture under stress
• storm delays, flawed de‑icing, and holdover time exceeded
• anti‑ice not used and iced probes faking healthy thrust
• late rotation, stall, bridge impact, and river crash
• improvised helicopter and civilian rescues in 33°F water
• NTSB methods using audio to estimate engine power
• industry reforms to de‑icing, instruments, and training
• memorials honoring Arland Williams and civilian heroes
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Special thank you to Lunarfall Audio for producing and doing all the heavy lifting on audio editing since April 13, 2025, the Murder of Christopher Meyer episode https://lunarfallaudio.com/
