Weather Conditions
On January 13, 1982, Washington National Airport — located in Arlington County, Virginia, immediately across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. — was closed by a heavy snowstorm. It reopened at noon under marginal conditions as the snowfall began to slacken. The crew of Air Florida Flight 90 left Miami International Airport (MIA) in Miami, Florida at 11:00 a.m. EST and arrived at National Airport about 1:45 p.m. EST.
That afternoon, the plane was to return to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Dania, Florida, with an intermediate stop at Tampa International Airport. The scheduled departure time was delayed about 1 hour and 45 minutes due to the temporary closing of Washington National Airport (DCA). As the plane was readied for departure, a moderate snowfall continued and the air temperature was 24 °F (−4 °C).
Read more about this topic: Air Florida Flight 90
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