Doomed American Airlines Flight 5342 passengers and crew, chopper pilot pictured
The “truly amazing” mum of two young children has been identified as one of 60 American Airlines passengers killed in the horror collision.
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The passengers and crew members aboard a doomed American Airlines flight and a military helicopter pilot have been identified, after the two aircrafts collided mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington DC.
There are thought to be no survivors after the horror crash on Wednesday between American Airlines Flight 5342 and the US Army Blackhawk (H-60).
The incident marks the deadliest US aviation disaster in decades, with an expected death toll of 67 people.
Of the 64 people on board the flight, which was operated by PSA Airlines for American Eagle, 60 were passengers and four were crew, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video message on Wednesday.
The rescue effort has turned to a recovery effort – DC Fire Chief John Donnelly told a press conference on Thursday morning local time that officials will “continue to work to find all bodies, to reunite them with their loved ones.”
“We don’t believe there are any survivors,” he said.
Meanwhile, newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has backed Donald Trump’s comments, saying the deadly collision was “absolutely” preventable.
‘Always smiling’ mum of two identified as victim
Mum-of-two Wendy Shaffer has been identified by her husband as one of the 60 American Airlines passengers killed in the crash.
“I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth,” Nate Shaffer said in a statement announcing his wife’s death.
“Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through. She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for.
“Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met. We will miss you more than words can express, Wendy Jo. I love you endlessly! Rest in peace, my love.”
“Wendy was an incredible wife to my friend Nate, and an amazing mom of two children, ages 3 and 1 …(She was) always smiling, such a sweetheart. Heartbroken for Nate,” her friend and FOX News correspondent, Bill Melugin, wrote on X.
“We go from joking in our fantasy football group chat to this horrible news.”
Victim’s haunting final text moments before crash
Asra Hussain, a 26-year-old Indiana University graduate, sent her husband a final haunting text just moments before the fatal crash.
“We are landing in 20 minutes,” she wrote to Hamaad Raza.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now. That’s all I can pray for,” Mr Raza told WUSA from near Reagan National Airport.
Mr Raza said he realised something was wrong when the messages he’d sent in response didn’t “get delivered”.
American Airlines pilots, crew identified
The four crew members of the American Airlines flight who perished in the crash have been identified.
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28, died along with flight attendants Ian Epstein, 52, and Danasia Elder.
Mr Campos was born in New York but grew up in Florida. He became a commercial airline pilot in 2018.
His uncle, Hector Campos, told The Daily Mail his nephew lived for aviation.
“He loved it,” he said. “We just confirmed the news. We are in complete shock.”
Mr Lilley, whose family is from Savannah, Georgia, reportedly leaves behind a fiancee.
His father, Timothy Lilley, confirmed his son had perished in the Potomac on the doomed plane.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Mr Lilley, a long-time military pilot himself, told Fox5 Atlanta.
He said the most likely cause of the crash was the helicopter, which appears to be the prevailing theory.
“In the ’90s, I used to fly in and out of the Pentagon regularly, and I can tell you if you are flying on the route over the Potomac and wearing night vision goggles, it’s going to be very hard to see that plane,” he said.
“If you’re not wearing the goggles, then you might have a chance.”
Mr Epstein was one of two flight attendants on board the plane, his relatives said.
Mr Epstein worked for American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines, according to his Facebook page.
“It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children … inform you that Ian Epstein was one of the flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided last night when they were landing in DC,” his wife, Debi Epstein, wrote on the social media platform.
“Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC.”
Black Hawk pilot named
One of three Army soldiers killed while flying the Black Hawk helicopter has been identified as Ryan O’Hara.
A Georgia Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) identified Mr O’Hara, who graduated from high school in Atlanta in 2014, as one of the victims in a social media tribute.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our own,” the Parkview High School Marine Corps JROTC said on Facebook.
“Former cadet Ryan O’Hara was the Crew Chief on the Black Hawk involved in last night’s crash in DC. Our deepest condolences go out to Gary O’Hara and his entire family.”
Crash was ‘absolutely preventable’
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy weighed in on the crash on Thursday night US time.
“To back up what the President said, from what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Mr Duffy told reporters.
Mr Duffy said it was “not a breakdown” in communication between the helicopter pilots and the American Airlines flight.
“It was, I would say, standard communication, so there was not a breakdown, if that’s your question, in communication between the military helicopter and the American Airlines flight,” he said.
“There was communication between the aircraft and the tower. I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area.”
Mr Duffy said both aircraft were on a “standard flight pattern”.
“This was a clear night last night – the helicopter was in the standard pattern,” he said.
“If you live in the DC area, you will see helicopters up and down the river. The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA.”
– with The New York Post
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