January 13, 1982. In the middle of a brutal winter storm, Air Florida Flight 90 attempted takeoff from Washington National Airport as snow and ice clung to its wings. Seconds after leaving the runway, the aircraft failed to climb, struck the 14th Street Bridge, and plunged into the frozen Potomac River. Icy water, shattered ice, and subfreezing temperatures turned rescue into a race against time. 78 lives were lost, while a handful of survivors clung to wreckage as helicopters fought wind and sn