Vuelo 90: desastre en el Potomac

This TV-movie about the January 13, 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight #90 into the Potomac river is for the most part a well-made docudrama surrounding many of the people involved in the story. Legal hurdles prevented some stories from being depicted, in particular that of Lenny Skutnik who dove into the river to rescue Priscilla Tirado from drowning. Skutnik felt that any movie about the event was exploitative and thus refused to let his story be dramatized. His scene is confined to a look-alike actor (billed only as "Man On Shore" in the original credits) jumping in at the appropriate moment. However, compensation is offered by focusing on the more neglected story of mental hospital worker Roger Olian (Richard Masur) who first swam out to give the trapped passengers enocouragement before the helicopters arrived. His story is as remarkable as Skutnik's ultimately and the TV movie allowed those of us who weren't familiar with his efforts to see how there was more than one hero that day who jumped into the Potomac to provide help.

The docudrama approach with no special effects of the plane crash managed to work well because there is a desire to keep things as authentic as possible, which includes a large use of actual news footage of the rescue operations, which is blended in seamlessly with the scenes of actors in the tank. Gil Melle's score is a bit awkward and the most dated aspect of the production, but still has some hauntingly beautiful sections when he gets away from the synths.

A few postscripts to the story of the survivors. Nikki Felch's marriage to David Frank did not last and she sadly died of pancreatic cancer in 2002, just two weeks after Burt Hamilton also passed away. Joe Stiley was forced into early retirement by his injuries and lives in Washington state. Priscilla Tirado has not granted an interview in more than ten years and remains traumatized by the events that saw her lose her husband and baby. By far, the happiest story has been that of Flight Attendant Kelly Duncan (who is given the least attention of any of the survivors in the movie, with greater focus coming on the other two flight attendants who were killed) who today teaches at a Christian pre-school and has three children.

I remember seeing this when it first aired. I thought it would be another junk TV movie, but it was a little above average. I recall thinking how cold that water must have been for the survivors and if I could withstand it. I got a chill in the beginning right before the plane went down. The pilot said to the co-pilot something like,"Were going down", and the response was ,"I know it." Heres another movie that should be on DVD. This is TV queen Dinah Manoff at her finest.They used real footage of the plane crash inter-cut with the movie. I'd like to see it again. Maybe it will pop up on a cable channel. These old 80s TV movies are hard to come by.

I'm a big fan of disaster movies. The more preposterous and over-the-top, the better! You know, "Airport"-style, or "The Towering Inferno". Of course, it's a lot less fun when it's a half movie/half documentary-drama about a tragedy that really occurred; - especially when made only two years after the incident and still fresh in the mind of everybody. "Flight 90" isn't the type of film you watch for entertainment, but to learn something more about what happened, or out of respect for the casualties and the families they left behind.

"Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac" is a retelling of the drama that occurred on 13th of January 1982, when - during terrible wintery weather conditions - a Boeing airliner crashed into an interstate bridge and sunk in the ice-cold Potomac River in Washington D. C. 74 of the 78 passengers and crewmembers lost their lives, and another 4 unsuspecting motorists on the interstate did as well. Since it's a serene production, and made for television, the film doesn't show much of the actual crash but focuses on character drawings (mostly of the few survivors) and the complicated rescue mission. It's a worthwhile film and it succeeds in passing the message that every victim of every incident has a name worth remembering and background story worth telling.

This is a movie that should be put on video. It is very well done and very accurate. I haven't seen it since it originally aired on network television, but I still remember it very well. I remember the character played by Donnelly Rhodes kept passing his opportunity to escape to other survivors. It was heart-breaking to watch that play out. I remember Richard Masur's character trying to swim out to assist the survivors. I remember the woman who lost her husband and baby trying to find her will to survive. I was young when it aired and I remember people making a big deal about it the days leading up to it because it was so effective and accurate. I know I'd love to see it again.

I was scheduled to be on this exact flight, returning to Florida from Washington after doing some military research at the Pentagon, however due to a family health problem canceled out two days before ...

Have thought of this moment many, many times over these last now 25+ years in wondering " what if " ...

This docudrama sets out the most important facts of that horrible day in very close detail ... It may possibly have been better, however it does tell the true story ...

The major miracle is that there were 5 survivors and even more most heroic men and women who took it upon themselves to throw themselves into this unbelievable rescue operation ... They are the real and true heroes of that day ...