MATTOON, Ill. (WAND) —  As recovery crews work the icy waters of the Potomac River in Washington, after a jet and helicopter crashed, it brings memories back for residents of Mattoon, Ill. of an Air Florida crash 43 years ago.
Picture provided by Mattoon Library Local History Center.
It was January of 1982 when an Air Florida jet took off during a snow storm in Washington. The aircraft had been deiced, but had been delayed around 45 minutes causing more ice to form. The jet had trouble almost immediately and stalled with its tail striking a bridge and crashing into the Potomac.
Arland Williams, Jr., who grew up in Mattoon, was among a handful of passengers who originally survived hanging on to debris in the frigid waters. A rescue helicopter arrived dropping a rope to those in the water. Each time the rope came down, Williams took it and handed it to others. Five people were rescued, but when the helicopter went back Willams had disappeared and drowned in the Potomac.
It was initially difficult to identify which person had saved the others in the water. But after nearly a year, Williams was identified as the man who gave his life.
Today, volunteer Chris Suerdieck, of the Mattoon Library Local History Center, displays William's Army uniform, along with a 1983 letter to William's parents from President Reagan. His portrait hangs at the Citadel where he went to school.
He is honored with his name on an elementary school in Mattoon, and on a bridge in Washington.
