an unfortunate and preventable accident. Yet one which produced a number of unrelated heros. From Leonard Skutnik, who dove into the icy river to help rescue one passenger; to Mr Arland Dean Williams who was trapped in part of the wreckage and continually handed off all rescue devices lowered to him from the rescue helicopter to other survivors beside him until he was the last remaining survivor….but when the helo crew went back to get him, the wreckage had shifted and taken him under water; to the US Park Police helicopter crew, who launched VFR from their base in zero/zero Wx conditions with blowing snow, in a helicopter equipped with nothing more than pitot heat for ice protection, in order to be the only rescue capability on scene over the icy Potomac River. Then on scene, flying extremely confined and even below the river surface, to engage in their rescue attempts.