Charlotte-based pilot in deadly DC plane crash had passion for flying since he was a kid

Ryan Oehrli, The Charlotte Observer on Jan 30, 2025

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The pilot whose American Eagle plane crashed over the Potomac River Wednesday was a proud New Yorker who wanted to fly since he was a small child, according to reports and social media posts from friends.

Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, died after the plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter. The four-person, Charlotte, North Carolina-based crew of the commercial plane, all 60 passengers, and the three people on the military helicopter all died, authorities said.

“I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird,” his aunt told The New York Times. She said he wanted to be a pilot since he was 3 years old.

He had worked with PSA Airlines for six years. PSA is an American Airlines subsidiary.

The job allowed him to travel from his Florida home and try new things, according to his aunt. He was raised in Brooklyn, New York, she said.

A friend online remembered him as a proud New Yorker.

On social media, people who knew Campos paid tribute to him, remembering his kindness and sense of humor. They and his family could not immediately be reached by The Charlotte Observer on Thursday.

One woman online recalled he was her captain during her initial operating experience training, which shows attendants what to expect on flights.

When she forgot her badge at a hotel, an instructor was ready to throw her “to the wolves,” she said, leaving her in tears. But Campos pulled the instructor aside and told him to go easy on her, she said.

It became a running joke, she wrote, with Campos jokingly yelling, “Get off my plane!” to her weeks after the training.

“Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Captain Jonathan Campos (Aeronautical Science, ‘15),” his alma mater said in a statement to the Observer. “Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident.”

Epic Flight Academy, which offers pilot and aircraft mechanic training, said Campos earned his rating to be a certified flight instructor from them.

“He was a skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying,” the academy wrote on Facebook.