Of the 67 killed when an American Airlines jet collided midair with an Army helicopter Wednesday night, four crew members were based in Charlotte and one passenger lived in the Queen City, Spectrum News 1 confirmed.
Authorities said there were no survivors after the two aircraft plummeted into the Potomac River in the country's deadliest aviation disaster since 2001. More than 40 bodies have been pulled from the icy waters of the river as recovery operations continue.
The American Airlines crew members were traveling on a daily direct route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., at the time of the collision.
Three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter were conducting an annual night proficiency training flight, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, adding they were a “fairly experienced crew.”
Family and friends have identified four members on the American Airlines flight as pilots Sam Lilley and Jonathan Campos, and flight attendants Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder. Relatives identified two of the soldiers as Ryan O'Hara and Andrew Eaves.
Flags were at half staff across North Carolina in honor of the crash victims Friday.
Gov. Josh Stein confirmed the Charlotte-based flight crew was on the jet in a social media post Thursday.
Here is what we know so far about some members of the two flight crews:
Ian Epstein
Charlotte-based flight attendant Ian Epstein, 53, was among those killed on the flight, according to family. Various people posted videos of Epstein on social media from previous flights, often singing, dancing and smiling.
Epstein's sister Robbie Bloom and ex-wife Debi Epstein described Ian Epstein as someone who was "full of life."
"He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family. He was a father, a stepfather, a husband and a brother! He will be truly missed. Our biggest comfort at this time is the outpouring of love we are seeing from past passengers who met Ian while he was doing what he loved to do!" Ian Epstein's family said in a statement.
Former flight attendant Garrick McFadden, who met Epstein four years ago during a training, said he will miss his friend’s colorful personality.
“Every time you see him, he's smiling,” McFadden said. “He used to yell at me across from the terminal, and it was like halfway across, and I'm like, bro, you could have just come out and talked to me. But he was just so excited about his job.”
They shared a strong bond of friendship, McFadden said.
“We are just literally one plane away from one another,” he said. “It could have been me or any of us.”
The family said they appreciate the outpouring of love and support they've received, but they are asking for privacy at this time.
Wendy Jo Shaffer
Wendy Jo Shaffer, a 36-year-old Charlotte-area mother to two young boys, was a passenger on the plane, according to family.
Shaffer's family released the following statement:
"We are devastated. Words cannot truly express what Wendy Jo meant as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife and most importantly, a mother."
The family is requesting privacy at this time.
Danasia Elder
Danasia Elder, 34, was a flight attendant on the commercial flight, The Associated Press reported.
Elder’s brother-in-law, Brandon Payne, described her as “full of life,” highlighting her love for God, her kids and travel, the AP said, citing WSOC-TV. She was married with two children, Kayden and Dallas.
“She was a great wife, a great parent, a great friend,” Payne told the news station. “She was very bright, very smart. She was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.”
Payne said he is proud of his sister-in-law for pursuing her dream.
“She would want y’all do the same thing she did. Chase your dreams, no matter what. Don’t let nothing scare you, push you away. Just believe in yourself, believe in God, and follow the path,” he told the news station.
Sam Lilley
Sam Lilley, 29, was the first officer aboard the American Airlines jet, legislators in Georgia said.
Lilley’s father, Timothy Lilley, told WAGA-TV in Atlanta that he was in Washington waiting for answers.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” said Timothy Lilley, who also is a longtime pilot and served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot for 20 years, noting he flew similar routes in and out of the Pentagon.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” he wrote on Facebook. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking.”
Timothy Lilley said his son was excelling in his career and personal life at the time of his death and was engaged to be married later this year.
Sam Lilley graduated in 2018 with a degree in marketing but decided to become a pilot. He had earlier graduated from Richmond Hill High School, just south of Savannah, Georgia, where he had been an active member of Coastal Community Christian Church.
A local news story from 2011 highlighted his efforts to raise money to build a water well in a Zambian village.
Kaitlin Sells, who met Lilley while they were students at Georgia Southern University, said there was no one better suited to be a pilot.
“There was no one that cared more. There was no one that was more passionate,” Sells said, adding Lilley valued “taking care of people and them putting their trust in him.”
Outside the plane, Lilley was devoted to making others happy and the type of person who always was the first onto a dance floor, Sells said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man in a bad mood, spreading negativity,” Sells said. “He was the type of person where if someone was not having a good time or someone was upset, he would do everything in his power to pull them out of it.”
Jonathan Campos
The captain of the American Airlines flight was 34-year-old Jonathan Campos, according to multiple media reports. His aunt, Beverly Lane, told the New York Times that Campos had wanted to be a pilot since the age of 3.
“I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird,” Lane said.
She told the newspaper she talked with Campos on Wednesday, just before the fateful flight. He told her he was looking forward to an upcoming Caribbean cruise with family.
McFadden, Epstein's friend, said he flew with Campos and described him as sharp, with a calling for aviation.
Campos was a 2015 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he studied aeronautical science, according to the university.
Ryan O'Hara
Ryan O'Hara was one of three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter.
“Ryan was just the most committed, disciplined person I remember working with,” said Josh Muehlendorf, a senior instructor pilot in the U.S. Army. “He had such great integrity.”
The two flew together numerous times on the same route in D.C. several years prior to the fatal crash and O’Hara took rules and procedures seriously, according to Muehlendorf.
“Ryan was one of those crew chiefs who always had our back,” he said.
Andrew Eaves
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on the social platform X that the state was mourning Andrew Eaves, who was also aboard the Army helicopter.
Eaves was from the small town of Brooksville in eastern Mississippi, Reeves said.
His wife, Carrie Eaves, confirmed he was on the helicopter in a Facebook post Thursday.
“We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve,” the post read.
She also asked that people refrain from posting negative comments on social media.
“These families children do not need to suffer more pain,” she wrote.
Related article: Charlotte-based flight crew was on plane that crashed into Potomac, officials say
Among the flight passengers were several members of the Skating Club of Boston who were returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. They included teenage figure skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, the teens' mothers and two highly regarded Russian-born figure skating coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Shishkova and Naumov, who were married and had lived in the U.S. for many years, won a 1994 world championship in pairs figure skating. Among their students was their 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, a former U.S. junior champion who narrowly missed the podium Sunday while his parents watched.
Other Russians were also on the jet, according to the Kremlin.
Spectrum News 1 is waiting for confirmation on the other victims.
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