Gene Windsor, US Park Police paramedic who rescued Air Florida victims from Potomac River, dies at age 74
Coverage of 30th anniversary of Flight 90 crash
DCFD radio traffic from Air Florida Flight 90 and Metrorail crashes- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Gene Windsor, the former U.S. Park Police paramedic who, along with pilot Don Usher rescued the five survivors of the January 13, 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight 90, has died. He was 74-years-old. According to The Washington Post’s Matt Schudel, Windsor, a resident of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, died August 24 of a brain aneurysm.
The rescues from the icy Potomac River between the spans of the 14th Street Bridge were broadcast live on network television and thrust Gene Windsor and Don Usher, along with other heroes of that day, into the national spotlight. The crash of Flight 90 killed 74 people who were aboard the plane and four motorists on the 14th Street Bridge.
Matt Schudel, The Washington Post:
The high temperature at National Airport was 26 degrees on Jan. 13, 1982, and heavy snow fell throughout the day. With near-whiteout conditions, Gene Windsor didn’t expect to be flying that day, in his job as a paramedic with the U.S. Park Police.
But it would turn out to be the most memorable and heroic day of his career.
Despite the weather, flights continued to depart from National Airport throughout the day. After a long delay, Air Florida Flight 90, bound for Tampa, took off at 4 p.m.
The aircraft struggled to gain altitude and speed. At 4:01 p.m., its rear wheels and tail section struck a span of the 14th Street bridge carrying traffic from Virginia into the District.
