Boeing 737-222 accident near Washington, District of Columbia, January 13, 1982
On January 13, 1982 at about 9:01 pm local time, a Boeing 737-222, registered N62AF, was destroyed in an accident near Washington, District of Columbia (Washington National airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 74 people were killed and 5 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1982 · about 9:01 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Washington National
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 74 people were killed and 5 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-222 · all 737-222s on the register
- Registration
- N62AF · no longer on the register · serial 19556
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report on this investigation is provided as Aviation Accident Report number AAR-82/08. To obtain a copy of this report, or to view the executive summary online, please see the Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm SCHED FLT FROM WASHINGTON, DC TO FT LAUDERDALE, FL. THE RWY WAS CLSD OVR 1 HR DRG MOD TO HVY SNWFALL FOR SNW RMVL, THUS DELAYING DEPARTURES. THE ACFT WAS DEICED WITH A HEATED ETHYLENE GLYCOL & WTR SOLUTION WITHOUT ENG INLET PLUGS OR PITOT STATIC CVRS INSTLD. CONTRARY TO PROCEDURES, REVERSE THRUST WAS USED TO HELP A TUG DRG PUSHBACK FROM THE GATE & BLEW SNW.AFT PUSHBACK, THE FLT WAS DELAYED 49 MIN WHILE SNW CONTD IN SUBFRZG CONDS. WHILE WAITING, THE ACFT WAS PSND NEAR THE EXHAUST OF THE ACFT AHEAD. DRG TKOF, THE EPR'S WERE SET FOR 2.04, BUT AN ANOMALY WAS NOTED IN ENG INST READING. THE CAPTELECTED TO CONT TKOF. THE ACFT TKOF APRX 2000 FT & 15 SEC PAST THE NORMAL TKOF PT. AFT LEFT-OFF, IT INITIALLY CLIMBED, BUT FAILED TO ACLT. THE STALL WARNING STICKSHAKER ACTIVATED SHRTLY AFT TKOF & CONTD TIL THE ACFT SETTLED, HIT A BRIDGE &SVRL VEHECLES, THEN PLUNGED INTO A FRZN RVR. INVESTIGATION RRVEALED ENG INLET PRES PROBES BCM BLKD WITH ICE, RESULTED INHI EPR INDCN, PSBL PITCHUP W SNW/ICE FRZ ON WNGS, NO RWY DSTC MRKRS WERE AVAILABLE, CREW HAD LMTD CLD WX OPNL EXPERIENCE
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,300 hours in all; 1,852 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,608 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Florida, INC
The flight
- Departed from: Washington DC at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Ft. Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 6,869 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 70 | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.