Jonathan Campos, the captain of the doomed American Airlines flight, was looking forward to a family cruise before the tragic crash. His uncle, John Lane, shared that Campos, 34, had dreamed of being a pilot since childhood.
Flight 5342, carrying 67 passengers and crew, collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, killing Campos, First Officer Samuel Lilley, and flight attendants Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder.
Campos, who lived in Orlando with his girlfriend, studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and later trained at Epic Flight Academy. His mother has traveled to Washington to arrange for his body.
The crash also claimed the lives of young figure skaters, a Harvard Law graduate, and an entire Virginia family. Investigations reveal potential air traffic control failures, with a single controller managing both planes and helicopters when two should have been assigned.