1.As disasters go, this one was terrible, but not unique, certainly not among the worst U. S. air crashes on record.

【难句释义】Compared with other air crashes, this one was not the worst; of course, it also involved a heavy loss of lives. In fact, this air crash was remembered for a different reason.

【难句解析】as sth. goes 就...来说

2.There was the unusual element of the bridge, of course and the fact that the plane hit it at a moment of high traffic.

【难句释义】One thing that was unusual about this air crash was that the plane hit the bridge during the rush hour.

【难句解析】此句中that引导的从句为the fact的同位语。

3.And there was the aesthetic clash as well — blue-and-green Air Florida, the name of a flying garden, sunk down among gray chunks of ice in a black river.

【难句释义】When the airplane clashed into the bridge and sunk down into the black river with gray chunks of ice, it made not only the loud sound but also the contrast between the colors; the blue-green color of the plane and the black color of the ice and water.
【难句解析】Air Florida 佛罗里达航空公司

4.Still, there was nothing very special in any of it, except death, which, while always special, does not necessarily bring millions to tears or to attention.

【难句释义】The air clash also involved loss of lives, which was always special, but it was not worth making fuss about it or to make millions cry or attract millions of people's attention.

【难句解析】状语从句while always special 中省略了其主语和系动词，其意为“although (it is) always special”。

5.Last Wednesday, the elements, indifferent as ever, brought down Flight 90. And on that same afternoon, human nature — groping and struggling — rose to the occasion.

【难句释义】Last Wednesday, unconcerned about the consequences as always, the weather made Flight 90 fall down. On the same afternoon, passengers, groping for flotation rings and struggling for life in the icy water, did deal sucessfully with the terrible situation.

【难句解析】形容词indifferent as ever用作the elements的同位语。