A new relief fund has emerged to supplement the patchwork of GoFundMe pages and meal trains created to support the families of those who died in last week’s airplane and helicopter crash into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport.
The Capital Area Community Foundations, a partnership of D.C.-area nonprofits that includes the Oakton-based Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, launched a DCA Together Relief Fund on Friday (Jan. 31) to raise money for the families, first responders and organizations providing mental health services and other recovery resources.
“Together with the Wichita Foundation and our local partners, we are working to ensure those impacted receive the care and support they need,” the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia said when announcing the fund. “You can make a difference in this critical time. Your contribution will help bring hope and healing to the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
All 67 people on board American Airlines Flight 5342, which originated in Wichita, Kansas, and the U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter on a training mission from Fort Belvoir are believed to have died in the crash, which occurred shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
As of yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, the bodies of 55 victims have been recovered and identified, according to D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly, as reported by CBS News.
The American Airlines jet passengers included three Fairfax County Public Schools students and their parents, who were part of the large U.S. Figure Skating contingent flying home from a development camp following the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
For anyone looking to specifically help the figure skating community, U.S. Figure Skating has established a family support fund.
The Army confirmed on Friday that the helicopter crew included Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, a Georgia native who was piloting the chopper, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, a repairer from Maryland. After initially withholding the third crew member’s name at her family’s request, the Army identified her on Saturday (Feb. 1) as Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, an aviation officer from Durham, North Carolina.
“Rebecca was many things. She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate,” Lobach’s family said in a statement. “Most of all, she loved and was loved. Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her. Our hearts break for the other families who have lost loved ones in this national tragedy and we mourn with them.”
In addition to providing financial assistance to the crash victims’ families for funeral costs and other immediate needs, the DCA Together Relief Fund will support first responders involved in the recovery efforts and “resources like mental health services, grief counseling, and community healing,” the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia said.
Fairfax County is among the localities across the D.C. region enlisted in the emergency response to the crash, and Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the county is working with partners to provide counseling and other services.
Founded in 1978, the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia invests and administers philanthropic donations, including through endowments, permanent funds, grants and scholarships.
The cause of last week’s deadly crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which has said a preliminary report could be available within 30 days.
In the wake of last week’s deadly crash, the Federal Aviation Administration has imposed additional restrictions on the crowded airspace around DCA, indefinitely shutting down low-altitude helicopter flights near the airport.
Members of Congress representing the D.C. area, including Virginia Reps. Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer and Suhas Subramanyam, sent a letter to the Defense Department on Friday requesting a safety review to determine whether military training flights should be permitted near National Airport in the future.
“Situating helicopter trainings beside the busiest runway in the country is an inappropriate risk when much of America has significantly clearer airspaces that could provide the same benefits to such training with much lower risk,” the Congressional representatives wrote. “We absolutely cannot risk further loss of life, both civilian and military, for entirely preventable reasons.”
