ARLINGTON, Va. (Gray News) – A 53-year-old flight attendant who died on an American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter was identified by his loved ones Thursday.
Ian Epstein was identified as a victim of the crash by his wife and sister.
In a Facebook post, his wife Debi Epstein said he was on the flight when the collision took place.
“It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children Hannah Epstein and Joanna Epstein and his sister Robbie Epstein Bloom and her husband Steven Bloom and nieces Andi and Dani 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,” she wrote. “Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC. We will update when plans are made.”
Epstein was the top seller of RVs at the Camping World in Concord, North Carolina before he became a flight attendant, according to Yahoo News.
The passenger plane carrying 64 people was landing late Wednesday night at Ronald Reagan International Airport near Washington, D.C. when the helicopter flew into its path.
Officials said all 64 passengers are presumed dead, along with three who were aboard the helicopter, in what is being called the worst aviation disaster since 2001.
The Associated Press reports at least 28 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River as of Thursday.
The plane was located upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and the helicopter wreckage has also been found.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but officials said flight conditions were clear.
The jet had been traveling from Wichita, Kansas carrying U.S. and Russian figure skaters as well as other civilians.
At a press conference held Thursday, President Donald Trump paid condolences to the victims of the accident while also placing blame on the Biden administration and diversity efforts, despite acknowledging the cause of the crash was unknown.
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