Flight Attendant Killed in D.C. Plane Crash Was 'Dedicated' to Her Job: 'One of Her Dreams,' Brother Says
She was a friendly person with a beautiful smile with a passion for her family and flying, an old classmate said of the late flight attendant
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Gofundme
Danasia Elder, a flight attendant on American Airlines flight 5342, is being remembered by friends and family as a dedicated and loving individual.
On the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 29, American Airlines flight 5342 was struck midair by a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., resulting in the most deadly airplane incident since 2001. On Jan. 30, President Donald Trump confirmed the crash had no survivors.
The flight was carrying 64 people from Wichita, Kan., 60 passengers and 4 crew members — including Elder, who was 34.
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA paid tribute to Elder and fellow flight attendant Ian Epstein, who also died in the crash. In a post to Facebook, the organization shared their grief through personal statements from their fellow AFA members.
"Flight attendants doing stop flying, they just fly a little higher," read a statement from Ben, who kept his last name private. He then wrote to the families of the victims: "May you find solitude in your thoughts, prayers, and meditations today, and in the coming days and weeks."
"Waking up to this news, my heart is broken," shared Trina, also keeping her last name private. "To our airline and black hawk families, my heart and prayers are with you all. Sending you love and prayers your way. We are family and always united by wings."
Elder was from Charlotte, where she trained to become a flight attendant. A classmate from the training process told Charlotte-based NBC affiliate WCNC that she was a friendly person with a beautiful smile, and had a true passion for flying.
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"Danasia was very dedicated to being a flight attendant," said the classmate, who wished to remain anonymous. They added, "She loved her family tremendously, and she would just light up whenever she spoke about them."
Echoing that sentiment, Elder's brother-in-law, Brandon Payne, told ABC affiliate WSOC-TV, "She was very bright, very smart." He added, "She was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do."
The late flight attendant's brother, Dajour Brown, shared that she was a wife and mother of two children, ages 13 and 4. In the description for the GoFundMe set up for her, he asked for prayers amid the family's sudden grief and said any funds donated would go towards his sister's children and husband.
A relative told NBC News that the Jan. 29 flight was to be her last flight before she changed careers within American Airlines.
Per The Charlotte Observer, a friend, Rebecca Cavaliere, who described Elder as the "sweetest human," said on Facebook she was so devastated by the attendant's shocking death that "flying will never be the same for me again."
Also among the crash's victims were fourteen figure skaters, a number of parents and students from Fairfax Public Schools in Virginia, four union members and three U.S. Army soldiers.
Sam Lilley, the pilot on the American Airlines flight, and was engaged to be married in the fall of 2025, his father shared. In an emotional Facebook post, Timothy Lilley mourned his son, who died at age 28, writing that "it hurts so bad I can't even cry myself to sleep."
"I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking," the dad continued. "He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall. Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night. It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much."
'One of Her Dreams,' Brother Says
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