Plane Crash Survivor Narrates Narrow Escape from Death, "All My Fingers Got Broken"
- On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the icy Potomac River near Washington DC in the United States (US)
- Legit.ng recalls that the accident killed about 70 passengers and four crew members, while four motorists were also among the fatalities
- Joseph Stiley, now 86, used his in-flight experience to avoid death at the time before a helicopter collided with a passenger flight
Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering global issues.
Washington, USA - On Wednesday, January 13, 1982, an Air Florida flight leaving the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (then Washington National Airport) plummeted into the icy Potomac River.
The accident claimed the lives of 78 passengers, several crew members, and fatally impacted motorists.
Source: Getty Images
Only five of those aboard the aircraft survived the tragedy, including Joseph Stiley.
The site of the accident over 40 years ago was the same place where a regional jet conveying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. It was the first major crash of a US commercial passenger flight since Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009. Flight 5342 was on final approach after departing from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas, while the helicopter crew was performing a required annual night flying evaluation out of Davison Army Airfield in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The DC plane collision triggered the flashback to 1982.
Speaking with People in an interview published on Wednesday, February 5, Stiley relived:
"I wrapped myself in a little ball and got down and put my back against the seat in front of me with my hands over my head.
"All the fingers on my left hand and a couple of them on my right hand got broken, so it was a good thing I had my fingers where they were."
The Seattle Times stated that Stiley was the most severely injured survivor, with more than 60 broken bones. Doctors inserted steel pins to hold his shattered tibia in place.
He disclosed that his body never fully recovered and he is still handicapped by spinal damage from that day.
How likely is it to survive a plane crash?
In a study in 1996, the European Transport Safety Council estimated that 90% of aircraft accidents were technically survivable.
Survival chances largely depend on factors like the presence of fire, the altitude a mishap takes place, and its location.
In general, experts say being aware of one's surroundings and the swiftness in exiting is key when there is danger.
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First words of plane crash survivor released
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the family of 10-year-old Trey Howard, who was injured when a jet crashed near their car in Philadelphia, USA, shared their harrowing experience.
Trey's father, Andre Howard Jr., described the moment the jet came crashing down as resembling a scene from a horror movie.
Trey was seriously injured by flying debris while protecting his younger sister.
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Source: Legit.ng
