Jonathan Campos, a 34-year-old Coney Island high school graduate, was identified as one of the 67 victims killed in the devastating midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.
The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. as the American Airlines flight operated by PSA Airlines, captained by Campos, approached the airport runway. The plane, carrying 60 passengers and three other crew members, collided with the Black Hawk helicopter, which had three crew members aboard. Both aircrafts plummeted into the Potomac River, sparking a massive search-and-rescue operation.
As of Friday, rescue crews continued to search for missing individuals in the river while investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked to determine the cause of the collision.
The family of 28-year-old Melissa Nicandri confirmed to Pix11 the New York woman was also among the victims who died.
Nicandri, a Brooklyn Heights resident, was returning home from a work trip in Kansas when her plane, which was connecting through Reagan, crashed into the Potomac River, her mother, Stacie Nicandri, told Gothamist.
Mayor Eric Adams took to X to pay tribute to Nicandri. “At just 28 years old, her life was tragically cut short,” Adams posted. “My heart and my prayers go out to her loved ones.”
Campos, a seasoned pilot with a passion for aviation, was remembered as an extraordinary individual by his alma mater. A 2008 graduate of John Dewey High School in Coney Island, Campos had dreamed of becoming a pilot from a young age.
“He was an amazing young man who had his life cut short at age 34. I was fortunate enough to follow his career path,” said Lane Rosen, a science teacher at John Dewey High School, in a Facebook post. “Jonathan was active, social and highly adventurous. He raced motorcycles, was licensed to fly helicopters, was a flight instructor and an aircraft mechanic. He was a certified scuba diver and had a passion for aviation and a zest for life.
After graduating from John Dewey, Campos relocated to Florida in 2008 to pursue his aviation dreams at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, where he earned his degree in 2015. He later trained as a certified flight instructor at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach before becoming a captain in 2022.
Epic Flight Academy paid tribute to Campos on social media, calling him a “skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying.” The academy added, “Our deepest condolences go out to Jonathan’s family, friends, and all those who lost their lives or were impacted by this devastating tragedy.”
Local media in North Carolina reports that Campos and his fellow crew members were based in Charlotte. The first officer on the flight, Sam Lilley, was due to get married this fall, according to this father.
Timothy Lilley said in a Facebook post that his 28-year-old son’s tragic death “hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”
“I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking. He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall,” Lilley wrote. “It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.”