A flight attendant who was killed in the midair collision last week near the nation’s capital was set to be remembered for his devotion to family and passion for travel.

Tributes are pouring in for Ian Epstein, one of the flight attendants who died when an American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C.

American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, 2025. Authorities said no one survived, including a Charlotte-based crew. Here is ongoing coverage from The Charlotte Observer.

Ian Epstein, a 53-year-old flight attendant who died in the January 29 American Airlines CRJ 700 crash in Washington, D.C., wasn't originally supposed to be on the flight but switched shifts with a colleague,

One of the flight attendants killed when an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided at Reagan National Airport was not scheduled to be onboard the doomed plane, but had switched shifts just days earlier.