Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (TV 1984)

Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac is a true story based on the crash of Air Florida flight 90 on January 13, 1982 in Washington D.C. This movie follows the main players throughout the day,... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Michael Lewis

Writer:

John McGreevey

Stars:

Jeannetta Arnette, Barry Corbin, Stephen Macht

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jeannetta Arnette	...	Patricia 'Nikki' Felch
Barry Corbin	...	Burt Hamilton
Stephen Macht	...	Joe Stiley
Richard Masur	...	Roger Olian
Donnelly Rhodes	...	Arland Williams
Jamie Rose	...	Marilyn Nichols
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Abatemarco	...	Dishevelled Man
Richard Backus	...	Larry Nichols
Richard Beauchamp	...	Jose Tirado
Burke Byrnes	...	Senior First Officer
K Callan	...	Barbara Hamilton
Larry Cedar	...	Jordan
Tamar Cooper	...	Head Nurse
Brenda Currin	...	Ticket Agent
Robert Factor	...	Lenny Skutnik

Storyline

Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac is a true story based on the crash of Air Florida flight 90 on January 13, 1982 in Washington D.C. This movie follows the main players throughout the day, with a lot of care taken to re-create what actually went wrong, who died, and who survived. There is a lot of actual footage from the day, as well as accurate representations of aircraft type and airline.

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Plot Keywords:

disaster | airplane accident | based on true story

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Taglines:

THE TAKEOFF In a blinding snowstorm. THE CRASH On a bridge stalled with traffic. THE RESCUE That came too late. [Video]

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flight No. 90

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Incorporated original television footage of the survivors as they clung to wreckage and chunks of ice in the freezing water of the Potomac.

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Goofs

Some close-up shots of the parked Boeing 737 in Miami show its registration as being N81AF. The real registration of the aircraft was N62AF, accurately depicted in the flight deck.

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Quotes

[Marilyn has the glow of a pregnant woman]
Donna Adams: So, are you?
Marilyn Nichols: Am I what?
Donna Adams: Didn't you get the results from the tests back *yesterday*?
[pause]
Donna Adams: So, are you?
Marilyn Nichols: [big smile on her face] Of course!
[the two women laugh and hug]

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Connections

Edited from Lost Flight (1970)

User Reviews

Well-Made Docudrama

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.