Families of victims killed in midair collision push to prevent future tragedies

When you have lost so much, you count the days from when it all so terribly changed.

It was Jan. 29, 2025, when American Airlines Flight 5342 and a military helicopter collided near Washington Reagan Airport.

Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

WATCH HERE

Among the 67 people killed were Matthew Collins' younger brother Chris, and Doug Lane's wife, Christine, and his son, Spencer.

"It's still processing," Collins said. "Still feels like you're in a nightmare that you don't wake up from."

Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox with our News Headlines newsletter.

A sold out TD Garden was packed Sunday for a gala to close out the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, including a performance by 23-year-old Maxim Naumov, honoring his parents who died in the D.C. plane crash. Follow NBC10 Boston: https://instagram.com/nbc10boston https://tiktok.com/@nbc10boston https://facebook.com/NBC10Boston https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston https://bsky.app/profile/nbcboston.com

When you have so much taken away from you in an instant, the pain comes in waves, even more than 100 days later.

"A lot of us in this group of families just are kind of reaching this point where we're having to go through a lot of firsts without our loved ones," Lane said. "As families, we're kind of like, 'Was everybody on this plane just an amazing person?' Because it just seems like there were so many people that were just doing amazing, selfless things every day."

From this overwhelming loss, the victims' loved ones are making a push to prevent something like this from happening again.

The "Families of Flight 5342" are calling for seven major air safety reforms, including an inspector general investigation into what happened and an independent review of what changes need to be implemented at Washington Reagan.

The World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden kicked off with a tribute to the 28 members of the skating community killed in the midair collision in Washington earlier this year.

The families are also pushing for more transparency from the military.

They are finding receptive ears, meeting with lawmakers and recently sitting down with Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

"It's obviously too late to bring my brother back, he's not coming back, but if I can prevent another family from having to go through what our family has gone through, that's why I am doing it," Collins said.

The "Families of Flight 5342" meet over Zoom almost weekly and have formed a bond through a loss none of them asked for, but one they remain determined to channel toward a greater good.

"We can't bring them back, but I know for me, being able to do something constructive has been the best feeling," Lane said.