Survivors who crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, DC, a deadly plane in 1982 say the plane crash on January 29 brought back memories of his unlikely survival more than 40 years ago.
American Airlines' recent clash on Flight 5342 Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Potomac killed everyone on a total of 64 aircraft. The collision had a jarring similarity to the crash, which killed 78 people on January 13, 1982.
86-year-old Joseph Styley was one of five people who survived the disaster, and Florida now leaves Washington, Reagan National Airport (DCA) and attacks the 14th Avenue Bridge in Washington, DC, and at that time. It hit the ice. Potomac.
“Memories make me realize how lucky I am. I did what I had to do and it worked,” Stiley told people. “I also tell myself, “Joe, you analyzed, and you made a decision, and it kept you alive.”
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Joseph Steiley, the victim of the Florida crash, tells reporters that he had rescued the river. (Frank Johnson/Washington Post)
Silly was a licensed pilot at the time, and he recalled knowing that passengers would curl the ball for impact, but others sat straight.
“I am a busy flight instructor and specializes in teaching aviation and instruments. … I passed survival school for the pilot,” Stiley told People. “We knew we were in the deep s before we left the runway.”
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Torso from Flight 90 Florida on the Potomac River. (Getty Images)
The 86-year-old broke 60 bones in the collision and remains in disability to this day.
“I wrapped myself around a small ball and went down, putting my hands over my head and turned my back to the seat in front of me,” he told the outlet. “Every finger on my left hand and two fingers on my right hand were broken, so it was good to be where my fingers were.”
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On January 13, 1982, the plane crashed into the bridge on 14th Avenue, and then the river collided shortly after takeoff, killing most of its 74 passengers. (Mark Linestein)
At the time of the Flight 90 disaster, Styley worked in general telephones and electronics. His assistant, the late Patricia Felci, was on flight with him. Felch also miraculously survived.
Styley said he lost consciousness when the plane shocked the Potomac, but woke up when he felt the water enter his nose and mouth. The plane was cracked and open near his seat, so he told him to grab his foot as he escaped the plane that had been destroyed by Felch.
Along the way, he grabbed another survivor, Priscilla Tirado.
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On January 15, 1982, after Flight 90 crashed in Washington, DC, a barge crew fished women's boots from the Potomac River with its bow down. (Doug Chevalier/The Washington Post)
“She was looking for her last baby she recovered in Chesapeake Bay a week later,” Styley said.
When asked what he thought about the recent DC clash, Styley told people, “The heart goes out to all the families and the dead.”
“My biggest concern right now is that we could have lost our children who just lost their parents and of course our spouse,” he told the outlet.
Watch: Video appears to show airplane collisions in DCA
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The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the January 29th American Airlines passenger flight and military Black Hawk conflict. According to the FAA, since 2012, at least 238 people have been killed and 227 injuries in a crash crash of a non-combatant aircraft.
Since 2023, there have also been multiple “close call” incidents at the DCA.
