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lapfog_1

(30,718 posts)
3. I remember there was a plan to close Reagan National
Thu Jan 30, 2025, 12:37 PM
Jan 30

that got some traction after 9/11.

But it was killed because Congress didn't want to take the extra time to drive ( be driven ) to either BWI or Dulles.

There was also the other winter time crash of a airliner that took off from there and hit the bridge over the Potomac.

The true culprit was the lack of de-icing just before the plane left.

lapfog_1

(30,718 posts)
5. The air space is so restricted it forces planes to fly in close proximity to each other
Thu Jan 30, 2025, 12:50 PM
Jan 30

not to mention a very dated location. As long ago as the 1970s airport planners started moving airports away from urban centers because of the dangers posed by tight corridors, high buildings, plethora of light sources, etc.

D.C. is the worst with the river, the pentagon, the White House, and the Capitol and air space restrictions.

NutmegYankee

(16,397 posts)
6. De-icing was a minor part of it.
Thu Jan 30, 2025, 12:54 PM
Jan 30

The thrust sensor heaters on the engines were left off because the Florida crew usually didn’t normally use them, so they took off with too low a power setting on the engines. Had that been set properly, they wouldn’t have stalled despite ice on the wings.

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