BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Families in Western New York are reacting to the tragic news of a plane crash in Washington, D.C. after going 16 years without a commercial plane crash in the U.S.
The last major commercial plane crash was Flight 3407 in February 2009 when a Continental Airlines flight crashed on Long Street in Clarence Center as it was approaching the Buffalo airport.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley talked with two families about their reaction to the tragedy.
“Just to see it, it just brought back all the memories, reliving, you know, all the steps they have to go through,” responded Jennifer West, Clarence resident. “I couldn't stop watching. I could just picture the people at the airport.”
Jennifer West remembers what it was like nearly 16 years ago when she learned her husband, Ernie West, died when Flight 3407 crashed into a home on Long Street in Clarence Center.
West tells me she couldn't stop watching the coverage of the deadly crash because she knows exactly what the family members are going through.
“My heart goes out to the families because I just know that the next year is going to be horrible, you know, and their life has changed forever,” West cried.
West's daughter, Summer, was only two at the time of her father's death.
“I talked to her last night, and she was asking a lot of questions, and, you know, like, how did that happen, and this and that, and she just knows that it brings up a lot of memories because she was too young to really know,” West explained.
“It was a shock to turn on the TV and have that come up like almost immediately,” remarked Karen Wielinski.
Karen Wielinski was up all night watching the coverage of this air tragedy. Wielinski and her daughter survived the crash of Flight 3407 when the plane crashed into her home, but her husband Doug was killed. She tells me she keeps thinking about how this affects the other 3407 families.
“And that it happened like, so close to our anniversary to it, that just, you know, drives it home more,” Wielinski reflected. “One the things that really got to me too is that footage in the distance actually seen it happen.”
February 12th marks the 16th year that the plane crashed into the Wielinski house and now that sacred ground is preserved as a memorial site for the victims.
“I feel sometimes that people forget about that fact that there were two survivors, and also, they forget about my husband sometimes,” Wielinski replied.
For West, she also reflected on the difficult time families could have waiting for closure. She waited for the body parts of her husband to be returned and some personal items.
“I had to go through 30,000 items on the website to see if any of his could be recovered, and I did get his glasses, which came to me on Father’s Day,” Wet recalled.
The women tell me the pain never really goes away, but having their children helped them move forward in life.
“I will tell them that it will get better. You will live again, and the thing that kept me going was my daughter, you know, she was only two years old, so I had to – you can either sink or swim, and I like to swim,” described West.
“You live on, you take it day by day, but it doesn't go away. It's always there,” Wielinski said.
The families of the 3407 victims released the following statement regarding the D.C. crash on their website:
"We are devastated to learn of the tragic mid-air collision that occurred last night between a military helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342 operated by regional carrier PSA Airline. Our hearts break for the families who are now experiencing the same unimaginable grief and loss that we have suffered since the crash of Flight 3407. No words can ease the pain of such a sudden and heartbreaking tragedy. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their loved ones, and all those affected. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, as well as the first responders working in the aftermath of this terrible event. As we have learned firsthand, it is crucial to allow the NTSB to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of this tragedy. We hope their work will provide answers and help prevent future accidents."
Since then, the families of the victims have turned their grief into action, fighting for safer skies.
In February 2024 the Senate Commerce Committee passed a new FAA reauthorization bill. The legislation keeps in place the flight safety standards that the families have fought for, for more than a decade.
Robin Tolsma, who lost her husband Darren on flight 3407, joined Ed Drantch and Taylor Epps on Second Cup Thursday morning, watch below.
