“Danasia was very dedicated to being a flight attendant,” a former PSA training classmate said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were no survivors after a collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C. late Wednesday night.

The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four Charlotte, North Carolina-based crew members. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter. All 67 are believed to have been killed as first responders moved from a rescue effort to a recovery effort Thursday morning. 

President Donald Trump said at a briefing on Thursday that there were no survivors. The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Dozens of bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River Thursday, including all three Army soldiers. 

WCNC Charlotte has been working to confirm the identify of the victims who had Charlotte, North Carolina, connections. One of them is Danasia Elder.

A former PSA training classmate of Elder’s reached out to WCNC Charlotte to share their memories about her. The classmate said Elder had a beautiful smile, was extremely friendly and had a passion for flying.

“Danasia was very dedicated to being a flight attendant,” the classmate, who asked to remain anonymous, said. 

The classmate said PSA members become very close through the training process, which took place in Charlotte.

“She loved her family tremendously, and she would just light up whenever she spoke about them,” the classmate said.

The station has not been able to find out more details about Elder or get in contact any of her loved ones, but as soon as we find out more, we will update this story.

WCNC Charlotte wants to hear about your loved one

If your loved one was impacted by this incident, WCNC Charlotte hopes to make this process less painful with our More Than A Number initiative. With your help, we want to share who your loved one was with our viewers in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you’re ready, fill out the form below or send us photos, memories and other details about them to desk@wcnc.com. 


There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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