Arland D. Williams, Jr.
| Arland Dean Williams Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 23, 1935 Mattoon, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 1982 (aged 46) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Cause of death | Plane crash, drowning |
| Resting place | Dodge Grove Cemetery Mattoon, Illinois |
| Monuments | 14th Street Bridge |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | The Citadel, 1957 |
| Occupation | Bank examiner |
| Employer | Federal Reserve System |
| Known for | Hero of Air Florida Flight 90 |
| Awards |
U.S. Coast Guard's Gold Lifesaving Medal |
Arland Dean Williams Jr. (September 23, 1935 – January 13, 1982) was a passenger aboard Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed on take-off in Washington, D.C., on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people. One of six people to initially survive the crash, he helped the other five escape the sinking plane before he himself drowned.
A clergyman later said His heroism was not rash. Aware that his own strength was fading, he deliberately handed rope to someone else, and he did so repeatedly. On that cold and tragic day, Arland D. Williams Jr. exemplified one of the best attributes of human nature, specifically that some people are capable of doing anything for total strangers.
The 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River at the crash site was renamed in his honor.
Born and raised in Mattoon, Illinois, Williams graduated from Mattoon High School in 1953, where he acquired the nickname "Chub." He attended The Citadel in South Carolina. According to his high school girlfriend, Williams had been nervous about The Citadel's swimming requirement, as he had always had a fear of water. After graduation he served two years in the military in a stateside post and then went into banking, eventually becoming a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve System in Atlanta. A divorced father of two, he was engaged to be remarried.
On January 13, 1982, during an extraordinary period of freezing weather, Air Florida Flight 90 took off from nearby Washington National Airport, failed to gain altitude, and crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, where it hit six cars and a truck on the bridge, killing four motorists.
After the crash on the bridge, the plane then continued forward and plunged into the freezing Potomac River. Soon only the tail section which had broken off remained afloat. Only six of the airliner's 79 occupants (74 passengers and 5 crew members) survived the initial crash and were able to escape the sinking plane in the middle of the ice-choked river.
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