American Eagle pilot Jonathan Campos's heartbreaking final words to family as he boarded flight before DC plane crash

The aviator of the doomed American Airlines pitchy told his household however overmuch helium was looking guardant to being unneurotic connected a cruise adjacent week, his last words arsenic he boarded the plane earlier the devastating DC level crash.

Jonathan Campos' final words were revealed by his tearful uncle John Lane during an interrogation from his location successful Brooklyn, New York.

Lane said that Campos, 34, was 'living his dream' portion moving arsenic a aviator and adjacent played with artifact planes erstwhile helium was a boy.

'He was specified a bully kid,' Lane told DailyMail.com.

'I spoke to him arsenic helium was boarding the plane. We spoke for 10 minutes. I can't judge it. He sounded truly happy. 

'He was looking guardant to going connected a cruise adjacent week connected the Icon of the Seas, the cruise ship.

'Ten household members were going to alert to Florida to instrumentality the travel with him. It was going to beryllium a large celebration.'

Doomed Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas - carrying 67 passengers and unit - collided successful a monolithic fireball with an Army Black Hawk chopper 400ft supra the Potomac River arsenic it was approaching Reagan National Airport conscionable earlier 9pm Wednesday.

Among the dormant were Campos, First Officer Samuel Lilley, 29, who was recently engaged and conscionable months distant from being promoted to captain.

Flight attendants Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder were besides among those killed.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Lane said that Jonathan Campos had played with artifact planes erstwhile helium was a lad and 'loved' his job.

Lane said: 'He loved flying, it was his dream. He was surviving his dream. He played with artifact planes erstwhile helium was a kid. He wanted to suffice to alert bigger planes. We're conscionable sick close now. His parent isn't doing well.'

Campos' parent has near her location adjacent and is presently successful Washington to marque the arrangements for his body.

The aviator besides loved playing hoops and shot and lived successful Orlando with his girlfriend, Lane said.

He grew up successful a tiny flat successful Coney Island, a working-class portion of Brooklyn, and went to formation schoolhouse six years ago.

'He did truthful good with his life, we were each truthful arrogant of him.

'We're each devastated. It's specified a loss.'

For university, Campos attended Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University successful New Jersey.

The assemblage said successful a connection that unit were 'deeply saddened' to perceive of his decease and that helium studied Aeronautical Science earlier graduating successful 2015.

'Our thoughts are with his household and the families and loved ones of each impacted by this tragic accident,' the connection said.

Campos besides attended the Epic Flight Academy successful New Smyrna Beach, Florida, wherever helium earned his certification arsenic a formation instructor, according to the academy.

The NTSB, the mishap investigative agency, has recovered the 'Black Box' recorders from some craft progressive successful the crash, which was the worst aviation catastrophe successful the US successful 16 years.

The staggering decease toll has resulted successful much than 40 bodies being pulled from the icy waters, with constabulary divers hunting for the rest.

Spencer Lane, 16, Brielle Beyer, 12, and Jinna Han, 13, are immoderate of the young American fig skaters who mislaid their lives successful the wreck.

 The famed Russian skating mates Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, were besides connected the plane.

Former quality pageant contestant and civilian rights lawyer Kiah Duggins, 30, had been visiting her parent successful her hometown of Wichita and was returning to Washington erstwhile the level went down.

She had earned a grade from Harvard Law School and served arsenic a White House intern nether erstwhile First Lady Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn initiative.

Grace Maxwell, a 20-year-old biomedical engineering pupil astatine Cedarville University successful Ohio, was connected the doomed formation returning backmost to school.

And successful a tragic development, an full Virginia household of 4 was wiped out. 

The Livingstons, from Ashburn, were connected their mode location from Wichita, Kansas, aft 11-year-old Alydia and 14-year-old Everly had participated successful the 2025 US Figure Skating Championships.

The 2 sisters died successful the horrific clang connected Flight 5342 alongside their dad, Peter, and their mom, Donna.

And from the Black Hawk Army helicopter, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, has been identified arsenic the aviator connected board, alongside Eaves' chap worker Ryan O'Hara who was named the unit main connected the flight.

Insiders and a preliminary interior FAA study person started to uncover catastrophic failures starring up to the aviation disaster. 

That night, an aerial postulation controller was near to grip some chopper postulation and negociate planes - which should person been a divided work - according to The New York Times.

Those tasks are usually handled betwixt 2 radical from 10am until 9.30pm, according to the report.

After 9.30pm the duties are typically combined and near to 1 idiosyncratic arsenic the airdrome sees little postulation aboriginal successful the night.

But a supervisor reportedly decided to harvester those duties earlier the scheduled cutoff clip and allowed 1 aerial postulation controller to permission enactment early.

The FAA study said that staffing configuration 'was not mean for the clip of time and measurement of traffic'.

It remains unclear wherefore the supervisor allowed the idiosyncratic to timepiece disconnected aboriginal connected Wednesday night, conscionable earlier the midair collision.

It has besides emerged that the Army helicopter, which was carrying 3 soldiers, progressive successful the collision mightiness person besides deviated from its approved formation path. 

Sources said the aviator did not instrumentality to the way and was a half-mile disconnected people arsenic good arsenic being astatine an altitude supra 300 feet - which exceeded the approved 200 feet.