Crash of Flight 587 Remembered on 23rd Anniversary
Story and Photos By Katie McFadden
On a blistery Tuesday morning, November 12, friends, family and co-workers of the victims of Flight 587 gathered in front of the memorial on Beach 116th Street, to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the crash and remember those who died.
On the morning of November 12, 2001, just two months after 9/11, American Airlines Flight 587 came crashing down in Belle Harbor, killing five neighbors in their homes, Helen and Thomas Concannon, Kathleen and Christopher Lawler and Franco Pomponio, plus 251 passengers and nine crew members on board the flight heading to the Dominican Republic. Each year, the families, predominantly from Dominican Republic neighborhoods in New York, come to Rockaway to remember their loved ones at the memorial on Beach 116th Street. At this year’s ceremony, a large contingent of New York Department of Corrections Officers also joined the ceremony. One officer shared with The Rockaway Times that Corrections played a role in the search and rescue efforts after the crash.
At 9:16 a.m., the moment the flight crashed, a bell was tolled, and a moment of silence was held. Mayor Eric Adams spoke at the ceremony, saying, “We’re here today as a constant reminder of those that we lost, not only the crew members, but the family members. And for those who are holding the photos and feeling the tears and feeling the pain of this constant reminder, we want to say that we are with you, we mourn with you, we remember with you, and we stand with you. May God bless those we lost, and may God bless the family members and friends that are here today.”
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez translated the mayor’s remarks to Spanish. Belkis Lora, who heads the Committee in Memory of Flight 587, provided final remarks before asking the families to pay their respects by leaving flowers by the names of the loved ones in the Flight 587 Memorial. Mayor Adams placed the first flower.
