Tragedies happen every day, but we feel the impact of the ones that happen to people we know. I knew Casey Crafton, one of the passengers aboard the airplane that crashed. We went to church together. I know his family pretty well. We’ve laughed together, prayed together, worked together, etc. We were not close friends, but my heart grieves for his wife, 3 sons and their tight knit family network. I’ve been praying for them constantly since I heard what happened. It’s caused me to reflect a little deeper on life.
“A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-4).
The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth
I am thankful that Casey was a believer in Jesus Christ. This is the most important thing. No one knows when they are going to die, but everyone knows deep down that something happens after we die. We can rest assured that because Jesus died and rose again, that anyone who believes in him will also rise from the dead to a glorious future. John 14:19, Jesus said, “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” In one instant Casey left his earthly body and was present with the Lord Jesus Christ. Casey lives, because Jesus lives. He does not grieve. It is a mystery, but the day of death for the believer is better than the day of their birth. Birth is, at best, the beginning of a long joyful struggle. Death (in Christ) is the beginning of eternal joy with no struggle.
You could have been on that plane. Are you ready to depart from this earth? The Bible is clear that if we have Christ we have a confident hope of eternal life. The only thing that would ban us from being received into heaven is our sins – the wrong choices we have made in this life. But Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven, to give his life as a substitute (a payment) for all of our sins. He came to earth to die so that we might go to heaven and live. What we have to do is acknowledge our sins before God and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God’s promise is this, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
Sorrow is better than laughter
Being confronted by a tragedy sobers the heart. It has a way of pulling our soul away from the superficial things of life and back into what really matters. As much as we would in our humanity never ask for pain, suffering and loss of life, it is somehow a precious tool in the hands of God to heal us and bring us forward on the next step of our journey. The most tragic, catastrophic, and miserable thing that ever happened was the crucifixion of Jesus, but it brought salvation to the world. The repeated misfortunes of Joseph brought food to a globally starving world. The tragedies of Job have comforted millions (probably billions) of people over thousands of years. And so on. I pray that God graciously gives Casey’s family measures of his peace and comfort that they never thought imaginable, and that time will tell how this tragedy was designed for their ultimate good and the good of others. “Father, support them with your arms. Reassure them that you are good, only good. Reassure them that you are with them and that, to you, nothing happens by accident and that you are surprised by nothing; that all of this happened on time and as planned. I pray also for all of the other families of those who were in the accident. Reveal your love, grace, strength and comfort to them all in a divinely potent way. Help everyone who will be serving and ministering to all of these families. Amen.”
Being grateful
Life is a gift. Every day is a gift. We didn’t ask to be created and the number of our days is not in our hands. There are a myriad of different ways that could end our lives today that are out of our control. It is often said, “Live every day as though it is your last.” This is good advice. Be humble. Love your family. Be kind to everyone. Strive to not have an enemy. Perhaps take the time today to pray something along these lines: “God, thank you for giving me life, for putting breath in my mouth. Thank you for every good thing I have ever received – it is not deserved. Help me to see the little things as great blessings. Help me to show my gratitude by serving others and by not being overburdened by the constant cares of this life.”
You never know how much you’re loved and appreciated.
Within the first 2 days after the accident there were about 1,000 who donated $100,000 to the Crafton family, and many others signed up to bring meals to them through the Meal Train app. (link at the bottom of the article if you would like to help out). Of course, no amount of money or food can replace a loved one, but those gifts are massive statements of love and support for Casey and his family. I’m sure Casey would have never thought that that many people would respond in the way they have. We really cannot conceive how many people our lives touch. If you are feeling lonely today, like no one notices you or appreciates you – you may even feel like if you were gone no one would even notice – it’s most likely not true. I don’t know how it will help you, but take a moment to reflect on that truth. You are loved and noticed, and as long as you are here, your life has a special purpose and you are seen. I can say that Casey was a man who was a servant to his family, his church and his community and always had a smile on his face. The more you give of yourself to those around you, the more you will be loved and cared for, especially in a time of tragedy.
John 14:18-19, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”
To Donate To The Crafton Family: https://mealtrain.com/yrz79e
Notes about the accident . . .
On January 29, 2025, American Eagle Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 series airliner on a scheduled domestic passenger flight, collided mid-air with a United States Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter while on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, killing all 67 people on board the flights. Flight 5342 was operated by PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group,[a] and was en route from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas,[3][4] while the helicopter was on a training flight out of Davison Army Airfield in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Aircraft and crew
Aircraft
American Eagle Flight 5342[5] was operated by a 20-year-old Bombardier CRJ700 series, a regional jet commonly used for short- to medium-haul flights. It was configured as a CRJ701ER, designating a slightly higher seating capacity and extended range. Manufactured in September 2004, it bore the registration number N709PS and had been transferred to PSA Airlines for operations under the American Eagle brand[a] in December 2013 after the merger of US Airways and American Airlines.[6][7][8] It had been damaged after hitting a deer at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in 2017, but was repaired and returned to service.[9] The flight originated from Wichita, Kansas, and was en route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after taking off from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.[4] No abnormalities were reported when the plane took off from Wichita.[10]
The helicopter involved was a United States Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk registered as 00-26860.[11] The helicopter was configured for use as executive transportation for senior U.S. officials and soldiers, and was flying under the callsign PAT25, indicating a “Priority Air Transport” flight.[3][12] No senior officials were on board the helicopter.[3][12] The helicopter, of B Company of the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, was on a training flight out of Davison Army Airfield when the collision occurred.[13][2]
Passengers and crew
The airliner carried 60 passengers and 4 crew members; the helicopter had a crew of 3 military personnel.[14]
The airliner’s captain, Jonathan Campos, had worked six years with the airline. The first officer, Samuel Lilley, had worked with the airline for two years.[15][16] Campos lived in Ormond Beach, Florida, and studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.[17][18] Lilley was a native of Richmond Hill, Georgia, and graduated from Georgia Southern University.[19] The Association of Flight Attendants reported that two of its members were on Flight 5342.[20]
The helicopter had a crew of three Army personnel: a captain, a chief warrant officer 2, and a staff sergeant.[21]
Victims
Within three hours of the collision, authorities confirmed fatalities.[22][23] As of 02:50 the following morning, no survivors had been reported, and search and rescue operations were described as “becoming more grim.”[10] Kansas senator Roger Marshall said that all 67 people were presumed dead.[24]
Among the passengers were several U.S. Figure Skating athletes, personnel, and family members returning from a national development camp held in conjunction with the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.[25] Coaches traveling as passengers were Russian nationals Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the pair skating gold medalists at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, along with Russian three-time figure skating champion and coach Inna Volyanskaya and another Russian coach, Alexandr Kirsanov.[26][27][28][29] As many as 15 passengers may have been affiliated with figure skating.[30] It was the second time members of the U.S. Figure Skating team died in an aviation accident, after the 1961 crash of Sabena Flight 548 in Belgium.[31]
Four passengers were members of the D.C.-based UA Steamfitters Local 602 union.[32] Three students and six parents from schools of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia were aboard the flight.[16] Two passengers were attorneys from a D.C. law firm.[33] Another passenger was a civil rights attorney.[34] A colonel of the Philippine National Police who headed its Supply Management Division was among the fatalities.[35] Two Chinese nationals[36] a Pakistani,[37] and an unspecified number of German nationals were also on board the aircraft.[38]
The US military released the identities of two of the three soldiers on the Black Hawk: the pilot, Chief Warrant Officer-2 Andrew Eaves from Noxubee County, Mississippi,[39] and the crew chief, Ryan O’Hara, 29, from Gwinnett County, Georgia.[40][41]
Accident
Around 8:47 p.m. EST, less than 30 seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter crew if they had the CRJ in sight while multiple CRJs operating in DCA. The crew confirmed visual contact with an aircraft and requested “visual separation” from the airliner—meaning they would visually acquire and maintain separation from the aircraft on their own—which was approved by the controller.[42][43] Moments later, the controller instructed the helicopter to pass behind Flight 5342.[1][44] The two aircraft collided at less than 300 feet (91 m) altitude,[45] with the airplane flying at 128 miles per hour (206 km/h; 111 kn) upon impact, causing the helicopter to explode and crash into the Potomac River.[46] The CRJ700’s radio transponder ceased transmitting about 2,400 feet (730 m) short of Runway 33, where the plane intended to land, with the Radio transponder providing incorrect data for an extra 1 minute after the crash, as seen on Flightradar24 ADS-B data.[1][44]
Duration: 1 minute and 2 seconds.1:02
Partial air traffic control audio between the helicopter, regional jet, and ground control
The collision was captured by a webcam at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,[47][48] and another video showed a brief trail of fire.[49] Witnesses reported that the airliner “split in half” upon impact, while the helicopter crashed upside down near the airliner.[20] A pilot in an uninvolved aircraft confirmed seeing the crash to an air traffic controller, and reported seeing flares from the opposite side of the Potomac as his flight was on short final.[3]
The jet’s traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), which might have helped prevent the collision at higher altitudes, does not send advisories to aircraft on approach when they are less than 1,000 feet (300 m) above the ground; this is to avoid directing an aircraft into a collision with terrain or another aircraft.[50]
Context
This accident was the deadliest US aviation accident since American Airlines Flight 587 on November 12, 2001,[b] the first fatal accident involving the CRJ700 series since its introduction in 2001,[54] and the first major commercial plane crash involving multiple fatalities in the United States since Colgan Air Flight 3407 on February 12, 2009.[55][56][57][failed verification] In addition it was the first crash in the Potomac River since Air Florida Flight 90 collided with a bridge before crashing into the river on January 13, 1982.[58][59][60]
The airspace around Reagan National Airport is considered to be one of the most difficult areas to fly in because airspace is restricted on both sides of the Potomac River to protect Washington on one side and the Pentagon on the other. It is also more congested by the confluence of civilian and military flights in the area.[61]
“Like most of the country’s air traffic control facilities, the tower at Reagan airport has been understaffed for years”, The New York Times reported on January 30. On the night of the collision, staffing at the tower was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” according to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety report about the collision that was reviewed by the Times. A single controller was handling helicopters in and around the airport and also instructing planes that were landing and departing. “Those jobs typically are assigned to two controllers, rather than one” between 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., the Times wrote.[62] The duties are normally combined at 9:30 p.m., when traffic has slackened. But on the night of the crash, an air controller supervisor combined the duties sometime before 9:30 p.m., to allow one air traffic controller to leave early.[63]
FAA administrator Mike Whitaker had resigned on January 20, reportedly as a result of conflict with Elon Musk, and an acting administrator had not yet been named at the time of the crash.[64][65]
Emergency response
Recovery teams at the scene
Emergency personnel, including units from District of Columbia Fire and EMS (DC FEMS), Metropolitan Police Department, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Maryland State Police, and other assets from local, state, and federal agencies, were dispatched to the scene. According to DC FEMS chief John Donnelly, emergency responders were notified of an aircraft crash at 8:48 p.m. The first units arrived at the scene at 8:58 p.m., where they discovered the aircraft in the water.[66]
Fireboats and divers were deployed to search for victims and survivors. However, rescue efforts were hampered by cold temperatures, strong winds, ice, and murky water conditions. The water temperature near the crash site was recorded at 35 °F (2 °C).[14] Several commercial yachts from CityCruise sailed from Washington Sailing Marina to assist in the search and rescue operations.[14] Officials said that they were confident they would be able to recover all bodies from the aircraft. Twenty-eight bodies were confirmed to have been found as of 07:48 EST, at which point the operation switched from rescue to recovery.[67][68]
After the collision, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport suspended all takeoffs and landings, diverting flights to nearby airports, including Dulles International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Airport,[69] and Richmond International Airport.[70] The airport remained closed until 11:00 a.m. on January 30.[71]
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority extended Silver Line service to help passengers whose flights were diverted to Dulles International Airport and dispatched “warming buses” to help relief operations.[72][14]
Investigations
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the FAA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Army announced they would launch investigations into the collision.[1] The NTSB prepared an investigation team to send to the site of the accident.[14] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also stated it would assist in the response, though there were no indications of terrorism or criminal activity.[14] The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) deployed a team of two investigators to assist in the investigation.[73]
The fuselage of Flight 5342 was found upside down in three sections in the river and is being recovered.[10] The search for debris was extended to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, 3 mi (5 km) south of Reagan National Airport.[1]
On the evening of January 30, the flight data recorders (“black boxes”) of Flight 5342 were recovered from the wreckage and brought to the NTSB lab for evaluation.[74][75]
Responses
Aviation
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, in a video statement produced by the airline, said that the pilots flying the airliner were experienced.[5] American Airlines also launched a hotline for family members of passengers on Flight 5342.[3] Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the captain of US Airways Flight 1549, argued for the creation of more safety zones as well as more restrictions on flight patterns after the crash.[76]
Domestic
President Donald Trump was briefed on the collision shortly after it occurred. Shortly after midnight Trump wrote on Truth Social questioning the actions of the air traffic controllers and that the situation could have been prevented.[77] Later that morning Trump released a statement calling the crash a “terrible accident”, thanking emergency responders and saying of the victims: “May God bless their souls.”[6][14][10]
In later remarks during a White House press conference, Trump alleged that FAA diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals by former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama were partly to blame for the crash.[78][77] During a reporter’s questioning, Trump agreed that it was still too early in the investigation, but that he was sure DEI was to blame as “I have common sense” and said that the FAA under Obama thought personnel were “too white”.[78] Trump criticized the FAA for being open to hire people with “hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism”, which was a policy that existed unchanged throughout Trump’s first presidency; furthermore in 2019 the Trump administration’s FAA announced a program to allow 20 people with “targeted disabilities” (as mentioned by Trump above) to train at air traffic control centers for air traffic operations careers.[79][80]
Top Trump administration officials also criticized diversity policies on January 30, agreeing with Trump’s claim that such policies caused the crash.[81][82] Vice president JD Vance said, “When you don’t have the best standards in who you’re hiring, it means on the one hand, you’re not getting the best people in government. But on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there.”[81][83] Sean Duffy, the United States Secretary of Transportation, said, “We can only accept the best and the brightest in positions of safety”, while Pete Hegseth, the United States Secretary of Defense, said, “The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department and we need the best and brightest”, including in “our air traffic control”.[82] Duffy also said, “What I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely”.[84] Hegseth also said that the helicopter crew were ‘fairly experienced”, and undergoing “routine annual retraining—night flights on a standard [flight] corridor for a continuity-of-government mission”.[85]
Trump received pushback for his claims that DEI initiatives were to blame for the crash, including by former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, whom Trump criticized in his address. Buttigieg stated that Trump’s claims were “despicable” and that he should be “leading, not lying”.[86] Representative Ilhan Omar criticized Trump for “blaming this deadly crash on minorities and white women” and that the comments were “disgusting, racist and sexist”.[77] Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized Trump’s remarks, calling them “idle speculation”. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen criticized Trump by stating that he was “making a political show out of this awful tragedy” about the crash.[20] Sullenberger responded to Trump by stating that “an airplane cannot know or care” about a pilot’s race or gender but can only care about “what the control inputs are”.[76]
Kansas Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran said that they were communicating with authorities about the collision.[3] Don Beyer, U.S. representative for Virginia’s 8th congressional district, where the airport is located, said he was in contact with airport officials about the crash.[3]
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin stated that first responders from Northern Virginia were being sent to help recovery efforts. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly stated that she was in contact with authorities about the collision.[3] Maryland Governor Wes Moore raised Maryland’s Emergency Operations Center status to “Enhanced” to help recovery operations.[14]
A vigil was held at the Wichita City Council chambers in memory of the victims.[87]
International
The International Olympic Committee said they “extend their heartfelt sympathies to all those affected, which we understand may include Olympians, young athletes, and their support staff.”[10] At the 2025 European Figure Skating Championships, which had begun the morning of the collision, a moment of silence was observed to mourn the figure skaters and family members lost. The International Skating Union and many international skating federations also offered their condolences.[88]
Pope Francis sent a telegram to the White House expressing condolences for the victims of the collision.[89] The Russian Embassy in the United States sent condolences to the families of the Russian nationals who died in the crash.[20] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences “to [the] grieving family members and loved ones who are facing unimaginable loss” and support of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada throughout the investigation.[90]
(Sourced from Wikipedia)
Brother Lee 