A Sept. 11 widow and activist, as well as a Canadian, were among the 50 people killed in the Continental Flight 3407 crash near Buffalo.
Beverly Eckert was flying to her hometown of Buffalo Thursday night when the commuter plane she was on nose-dived into a house in suburban Buffalo. Officials investigating the crash have not yet confirmed she was on board the plane.
Eckert's husband Sean Rooney died in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and Eckert had planned to celebrate what would have been her late husband's 58th birthday this weekend.
She had been part of a small group of Sept. 11 widows, mothers, and children who became amateur lobbyists on Capitol Hill following the terrorist attacks. Her team ultimately forced lawmakers in 2004 to pass sweeping reforms of the U.S. intelligence reform law.
As co-chair of the "9-11 Family Steering Committee," she pushed for a 9-11 Commission. She pushed the Bush administration to provide more information to the commission, and when the commission's work was over, she pushed Congress to adopt their recommendations.
When it was over, Eckert vowed to quit her high-profile role and return to a regular life.
"I did all of this for Sean's memory, I did it for him," she said at the time, between tears. "There is a euphoria in knowing that we reached the top of the hill."
While Eckert stepped out of the spotlight after the law passed, choosing to work with Habitat for Humanity helping build homes for low-income families, just last week, Eckert was at the White House for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.
She and other relatives of those killed in the 9-11 attacks and the bombing of the USS Cole to discuss how the new administration would handle terror suspects.
Eckert is being remembered as a tireless crusader who put her grief to good use.
"She was an inspiration to me and so many others and I pray that her family finds peace and comfort in the hard days ahead," Obama said in remarks to reporters Friday morning.
"I'm in shock, I just can't believe it," said Carie Lemack, whose mother died Sept. 11 on one of the hijacked planes. "Beverly had a can-do attitude about everything, and she never gave up."
"She was such an important part of all of our work," said Mary Fetchet, another 9-11 family activist.
Canadian among those killed
At least one Canadian was among the crash victims. Don McDonald of Fort Erie, Ont., was onboard the Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 aircraft when it went down, confirms his family.
McDonald was a project manager for Canadian pharmaceutical firm, Pharmetics, Inc., where he had worked for 26 years and had been flying home from a business trip to be with his wife and young daughter.
A spokesman for Pharmetics Inc., said McDonald was loved by all his employees and that co-workers are shocked. They are being offered grief counselling to help them with the tragedy.
A member of McDonald's family said relatives were grieving and refused comment.
Officials from Continental Airlines have identified the crew as:
- Pilot Capt. Marvin Renslow
- First officer Rebecca Shaw
- Flight attendant Matilda Quintero
- Flight attendant Donna Prisco
An off-duty crew member was also on board. He has been identified as Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto.
The man who was killed inside the house into which the plane crashed has been identified as Doug Wielinski.
His wife, Karen, told a local radio station that she and Doug were watching TV in the family room in the front of the house, when her husband got up to get ready for bed around 10 p.m. when the plane hit, she and her adult daughter, Jill, were able to get out; Doug did not.
"To me, it looked like the plane went through the middle of the house. Unfortunately, that's where Doug was," she said
Two members of jazz musician Chuck Mangione's band were also among the victims. Mangione's publicist Sanford Brokaw identified the band members as Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett.
In a statement Mangione, said: "I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy."
More than two dozen relatives descended on the Buffalo airport Thursday night, looking for information on their loved ones. They were escorted into a private area at the airport and then taken by bus to a senior citizens centre in the neighbouring town of Cheektowaga, where counsellors and representatives from Continental waited to help.
Chris Kausner, believing his sister was on the plane, rushed to a hastily established command centre after calling his vacationing mother in Florida to break the news.
"To tell you the truth, I heard my mother make a noise on the phone that I've never heard before. So not good, not good," he told reporters.
The operator of the plane, Colgan Air, said they were helping relatives to alert other family members.
"At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them," they said in a statement
Continental chairman and CEO Larry Kellner extended his companies "deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the family members and loved ones of those involved in the Flight 3407 tragedy," he said in a statement.
Relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who want to give or receive information about those on board can telephone a special family assistance number, 1-800-621-3263.
