Flight 90 Persuasive Speech

On January 13th, 1982, 79 passengers on the Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the icy, Potomac River less than a minute after take off. One minute, the passengers were warm and relaxed, sitting in their seats, and the next, they were drowning in the icy Potomac. Air Flight 90’s death toll of seventy-five people, easily could and should have been prevented, yet as tragic as the event was, some good managed to come out it as well. Joe Stiley, one of the passengers onboard the Air Florida Flight 90, knew something wasn’t right as he was sitting in the plane, waiting for takeoff. For one thing, he stated that it was hard for him to see out of his window due to the wintry weather. Joe, having owned his own private pilot license, knew a thing

While Air Florida Flight 90 (aka Palm 90) waited for takeoff, it’s exterior was de-iced with glycerol and water, but according to Ken Kaye, a reporter from Sun Sentinel, “the solution wasn’t as potent as it should have been”. Not having a solution which wasn’t as potent as it should have been, wasn’t the only reason Palm 90 crashed. Ken Kaye also stated that “like most airline accidents, the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 was the result of a chain of events set in motion by Murphy's Law”. Perhaps the biggest mistake the two pilots, Larry Wheaton and Roger Petit, made was failing to turn on the anti-ice system.Not turning on the anti- ice system, prevented the engines from de-frosting and caused incorrect power readings of instruments in the

Roger Olian, a sheet metal worker, and Lenny Skutnik, a Capitol Hill errand boy, were two heroic commuters who tried to help the plane’s survivors. According to the Sun Sentinel, “Lenny Skutnik …. pulled off his cowboy boots, dove in, swam to survivor Priscilla Tirado and tugged her back to the shore”. When asked why he did what he did, Lenny replied, regarding Priscilla Tirado, the survivor he saved, “ It was a human being, I had to save her.” Roger Olien immediately tried to help as well the survivors, but the frigid water caused his body to become numb and had to be reeled back to the shore before he was able to reach anyone.

Roger and Lenny weren’t the only ones who risked their lives that day. Don Usher and Gene Windsor , two Park Police paramedics, also rushed over to the scene in the helicopter and managed to save most of the few remaining survivors. As tragic as the Air Florida Flight 90 crash was, it has taught us important lessons. First of all, we have created more guidelines and restrictions for flying in wintry weather. Also, the solutions used to de-ice planes are stronger and more effective than the ones used in the early 80’s.We may begin to have at least one experienced pilot on board instead of two inexperienced pilots as in Air Florida Flight 90’s case. Most importantly, Palm 90’s crash brought out the good in total strangers by the acts