A memorial opened in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday for the victims of the Jan. 29, 2025, collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army helicopter.
The memorial is in Alexandria’s Rivergate City Park along the Potomac River and includes a sign honoring the victims, a memorial bench and trees, according to the Alexandria city website.
The memorial’s details come from the victims’ families.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins told Washington’s WTTG that “we wanted to make sure this was not something we were putting forward, but it was driven by the families. What would be meaningful to them … that’s how the idea of the trees, the bricks, the benches came about.”
Officials plan to plant 67 trees across Alexandria as well, matching the number of victims, per a livestream of the memorial event hosted by the city and Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat whose district includes Alexandria.
The two aircraft collided when the Army helicopter went higher and into the descent path of the American Airlines flight, which was on track to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on the plane, and three soldiers on the helicopter — Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach.
Tim Lilly, the father of Flight 5342’s first officer, Sam Lilley, said at the memorial event that “we are deeply grateful for the city of Alexandria, Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Representative Don Beyer for establishing this space dedicated to preserving the memories of the 67 extraordinary individuals we lost that evening.”
