Air Florida Flight 90

Imagine a big airplane, like a giant metal bird, getting ready to fly from Washington D.C. to Florida. This was Air Florida Flight 90! It was a special trip with lots of people on board, all excited to reach their destinations. But on a cold, snowy day, something unexpected happened right after takeoff.

The pilots were getting the plane ready, but the wings had ice and snow on them. Ice can make an airplane heavy and hard to fly. They tried to warm up the engines, but they didn't turn on a special ice-melting system. They also used a trick with another plane's hot air, but it wasn't enough. The plane didn't have enough power to climb high into the sky.

Instead of soaring up, the plane flew down and hit the 14th Street Bridge! It was a scary moment. The plane crashed into the bridge, which is like a super-long road over the water. Then, it fell into the icy Potomac River. It was a very difficult situation, and the water was freezing cold!

Even though it was so dangerous, amazing people jumped into action! Some brave people on the bridge and in boats rushed to help. They pulled people out of the cold water, one by one. One passenger, Arland D. Williams Jr., helped others but sadly couldn't be saved himself. The president even talked about these heroes later!