American Airlines gives heartbreaking tarmac tribute for plane carrying remains of flight crew killed in DC crash

Video footage has captured the heartbreaking infinitesimal American Airlines gave a tarmac tribute for a level carrying the remains of the formation unit killed successful the tragic Washington, DC, crash. 

American Airlines unit lined the tarmac successful a touching tribute arsenic the assemblage of beloved formation attendant Ian Epstein returned to Charlotte pursuing past week's devastating plane clang that claimed 67 lives.

In an affectional clip captured successful a viral TikTok video, exigency vehicles and airdrome workers gathered to wage their respects.

'Tonight the remains of #flightattendant #ianepsteinamericanairlines received the #watercannonsalute arsenic it departs from DCA to his location truthful helium whitethorn beryllium laid to #eternalpeace,' the caption read.  

The craft carrying Epstein's remains touched down astatine Charlotte Douglas International Airport conscionable earlier 10pm Monday, arsenic reported by WBTV.

The beloved formation attendant was among 4 Charlotte-based unit members who perished erstwhile their rider pitchy collided with an Army Black Hawk chopper supra the Potomac River adjacent Reagan National Airport connected Wednesday, January 29.

Fellow unit members mislaid successful the calamity included formation attendant Danasia Elder, Captain Jonathan Campos and First Officer Sam Lilley.

Charlotte nonmigratory Wendy Jo Shaffer was besides among the passengers who mislaid their lives.

The tribute was marked by a accepted h2o cannon salute, with occurrence trucks creating an arc of h2o implicit the craft arsenic it taxied to conscionable the waiting hearse.

Social media users were moved to tears by footage of the tribute.

One idiosyncratic commented: 'What a beauteous tribute to a beauteous soul. Ian Epstein volition ne'er beryllium forgotten. R.I.P Ian Epstein.'

Another wrote: 'I anticipation they didn't consciousness immoderate symptom and that they opened their eyes and were successful the arms of an angel.' 

'I didn't cognize this was a happening until present and I'm sobbing,' different added.

Many paid respects to the archetypal responders who successfully returned the bodies of those who perished.   

'Thank you archetypal responders for uncovering him truthful helium tin spell location to his family. Thank you to everyone who helped him alert home. Heartbroken. Thank you for your kindness Ian, we volition effort to transportation it on'   

One workfellow commented: 'Ian it was an grant flying with you. You were an angel connected world and a bigger angel successful heaven. Fly precocious Ian the skies is yours. Rest successful Paradise.' 

Video of the 'world's champion formation attendant' warmly joking with passengers has surfaced aft the unit subordinate tragically died successful the American Airlines level crash/

The clip, which appeared to beryllium recoded by a passenger, showed a bubbly Ian Epstein, 53, chatting with passengers connected an earlier flight, 'having amusive and reminding everyone however important we are.'

'Ian was the idiosyncratic who made customers consciousness similar they were successful archetypal class, adjacent if their spot was successful the past row,' the idiosyncratic who shared the video wrote successful the caption.

Epstein was 1 of 64 radical killed connected the fateful formation from Wichita, Kanas, which collided with a US Army Black Hawk chopper connected Wednesday nighttime implicit Potomac River successful DC. Three radical connected committee the chopper besides died.

'We cognize the crushed we person jobs is due to the fact that you guys are flying. We emotion you, we admit you,' Epstein said successful the video, aft cracking jokes arsenic helium spoke implicit the intercom.  

Passengers tin beryllium heard laughing and applauding passim the clip.

'We person rules connected my airplane, truthful marque definite you're pursuing them astatine each times. There is perfectly positively not to beryllium 1 ounce of mopiness oregon groaning connected this plane,' Epstein said portion offering up immoderate 'dad jokes.'

'I was a comedian for 27 years. I spent 14 years arsenic a stuntman successful Hollywood, which is wherefore my caput is shaped this way. You can't marque amusive of my head,' helium said.

While joking astir the magnitude of the flight, helium said: 'Sit backmost unbend and fto america pamper you connected this 3 hr - guys we're regional, we lone spell 5 miles an hour. We'll get determination eventually, you're fortunate this airplane has wings for crying retired loud... I'm conscionable kidding.'

'Welcome to our house... Sit back, unbend and let's person a large day,' helium concluded, earlier jumping backmost connected the intercom to gag immoderate more.

Epstein was remembered by his household arsenic idiosyncratic who 'made friends everyplace helium went.'

He had worked arsenic a formation attendant for galore years and leaves down 2 children and 2 stepchildren, according to his sister Robbie Bloom.

'He utilized to speech astir the radical helium met connected the level arsenic if they were each caller friends,' Bloom told CNN.

'My member was a wonderful, fantastic man. He loved life. He loved traveling. He loved his job. He loved his family, and helium volition beryllium sorely missed,' she said.

Many commenters connected the video said they had erstwhile had Epstein arsenic a formation attendant.

'He gave specified a large code astatine the extremity of our formation astir being benignant to 1 different during the vacation season,' wrote one, who said Epstein worked a travel she took from New York to Charlotte connected Christmas Eve.

Epstein had been moving connected the disastrous formation alongside chap formation attendant Danasia Elder, 34, and pilots, Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 29. 

Campos was calved successful New York but grew up successful Florida. He attended the Epic Flight Academy wherever helium was certified arsenic a formation teacher successful 2017 and arsenic a commercialized hose aviator 1 twelvemonth later, according to the company's records.