Seconds from Disaster

In 1982 a delayed flight departing from Washington, D.C. struck a bridge spanning the River Potomac. Only five passengers survived, the rest drowning beneath the water, prompting questions about how the crash occurred. The impact caused the plane to plunge into the Potomac, resulting in the high fatality count.

Washington Air Crash is a television programme presented as a single episode. The show falls under the genre of an episode‑type documentary, focusing on a specific aviation disaster without any reference to cast, crew or production year beyond what is already stated. The episode centres on a 1982 incident involving a flight that left the US capital after a delay. While attempting to land, the aircraft struck a bridge that spans the River Potomac, plunging into the water below. The impact proved catastrophic: every passenger drowned apart from five survivors who managed to escape the submerged wreckage. The programme then turns its attention to the unanswered question that looms over the tragedy – how did the crash occur? By retracing the flight’s final moments, the episode examines the chain of events that led a delayed aircraft to collide with the bridge and sink beneath the river. It invites viewers to consider the factors that contributed to the disaster and to reflect on the circumstances that left only a handful of passengers alive.