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Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district in the U.S. House that includes National Airport (DCA), today delivered floor remarks during debate on House Resolution 153, “Expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 and PAT 25, and for other purposes.” The legislation passed without objection on a voice vote.

Beyer’s remarks follow below.

I want to add my thanks and my condolences to what has already been said.

We are here today to honor the lives lost on American Eagle Flight 5342 and the brave souls aboard the PAT 25 helicopter.

Each of them was more than a passenger, more than a soldier; they were loved ones—friends, parents, classmates, children, teammates, and colleagues—whose presence made the world better.

While the flight manifest has not been shared, from the names that have been shared publicly I want to specifically mention those who lived in the 8th District of Virginia –Vikesh Patel, Staff Sargeant Ryan O’Hara, Olesya Taylor and her daughter Olivia Ter, Yu “Joe” Zhou, Kaiyan Mao, and their son Eddie Zhou, and members of the Haynos family: Stephanie, Roger, and their son Cory.

We are taking time today to remember.

I also want to express my deep condolences to their families.

And I want to reiterate my thanks to the first responders supporting the recovery.

They heard the call and rushed out immediately, risking their lives in the deadly cold as part of the rescue operations.

These include the best of Virginia’s 8^th: the Fire Departments, Emergency Management teams, and Police departments of the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, the City of Falls Church, of MWAA, and of the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

I’d also like to recognize the federal agencies working on the recovery and the investigation, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, the Army, and all the others that have contributed.

And I want to thank those from our local jurisdictions—hospitals, mental health care providers, even caring neighbors and support services—who offered on scene support to our emergency responders and who continue to support those impacted.

Mental health is so important and I want to stress how important it is that we all take this impacts seriously, and connect folks to resources to help.

Finally, I want to thank all of the Air Traffic Controllers, the MWAA employees, and the DCA employees, who have returned to their jobs and who work tirelessly to keep our airspace safe.

I know it must be so difficult being in such close proximity, and see the recovery efforts while completing your jobs—my heart goes out to you and we thank you for your professionalism in such a trying time.

I wholeheartedly support this Resolution, join in expressing my condolences, and I yield back.