Group of 7 Maryland -men who died in flight accident returned from Kansas hunting trip

A group of friends from Washington, DC area was on their way home from a Kansas hunting trip when Flight 5342 crashed on Wednesday evening.

According to their friends and family, seven of the 67 people who were killed when an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided in the air With an American army, Black Hawk helicopter returned to its Maryland homes from a trip to hunt water birds, including ducks, geese and pheasants in Kansas, the Wichita Örn reported.

The men were identified as Jesse Pitcher, 30; Michael Stovall, 40; Steve Johnson, 45; Alexander Huffman, 34; Charles McDaniel, 44; Jonathan Boyd, 40; and Tommy Clagett, 38, per Eagle. They had started a hunt with a group of 10 people to travel to Great Bend, which is about 100 miles outside Wichita.

Per it Eagle, 3 of the group members decided to drive home so that they could more easily transport their equipment and dogs, and the other seven men decided to fly home to their families, all located in southern Maryland.

On one Facebook Mail shared on Thursday, January 30, Fowl Plain’s photos shared from friends. The organization wrote in the caption that their customers “are more than friends. They are family.”

“Last night we lost 7 family members in the terrible air accident. 7 Family members we have had the privilege of hunting with in recent years,” Outfitter wrote in the post. “We have spent the past week, shared blind, laughed, talked about our families and shared memories. We are completely heartbroken. Pray for families, friends and for our other three hunters in the group who drove home.”

“Heart broken is an understatement,” they added.

Chase White, owner of Fowl Plains, also spoke with Eagle About to spend time with the large group of friends, open up about their trip.

According to White, the friends shared all their meals, laughed and enjoyed spending time as a great group of friends.

“Because they could do something in the last five or six days they all loved together,” White told the outlet, “You know, I think it’s something really special.”

Four of the seven men were members of the UA Steamfitters Local 602 Labor Union in Maryland, Per Eagle, While others in the group worked together and were close friends.

A number of men’s families have talked about their deaths. Family members of the 30-year-old Jesse Kannan told meadless Eagle That he had founded a plumbing company in Maryland and he and his wife in a year, Kylie, had just broken land on their new house.

“He was a very hard -working, thoughtful child,” his aunt, Robin Cox, told Eagle. “We are extremely proud of what he could accomplish in 30 years.”

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Christina Stovall, mother of 40-year-old Michael Stovall, spoke with the local Florida station Blink TV and opened up about his son’s life.

Stovall said to the CBS connection: “Mikey didn’t have an enemy. If you see pictures of him, which I am sure I will post there, he was the party’s life. He loved everyone. He did not ‘t see color, he Saw nothing.

“There were seven wonderful guys there,” she added.

The families to Mike SalovalThe Charles McDaniel and Tommy Cagett Has each started gofundme or meal pages to help their young families with living expenses and meals. Another Gofundme page, which has collected over $ 117,000 of its target of $ 200,000 from Friday, January 31, has been organized on behalf of all men’s families.

“These victims were more than just hunters; they were fathers, sons, men, friends, entrepreneurs and respected members in society who shared a deep love for nature,” says the common Gofundme side. “Their presence in the field and their contributions to the local hunting community has left lasting memories, and they will be deeply missed.”

American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., And the military aircraft crashed into each other just before 9 pm on Wednesday, January 29, when the plane was preparing to land on Reagan National Airport, outside Washington, DC

The fiery crash sent both aircraft sank in the river Potomac and All 67 passengers were killed.