Senator Marshall Honors Lives Lost in DC Crash One Year Later
Washington – On the one-year anniversary of the tragic mid-air collision over the Potomac River involving American Airlines Flight 5342 originating from Wichita, Kansas,U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), introduced a resolution honoring and remembering the lives lost on January 29, 2025.
He also delivered remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate reflecting on the profound impact of this tragedy on families, Kansas communities, and the nation. He also highlights actions that the Senate has taken to prevent future aviation accidents, honor the victims, and ensure meaningful safety improvements.
Click here to read the resolution.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks.
Senator Marshall’s full speech as delivered:
“Thank you, Mr. President, I rise today to mark a solemn anniversary, one that continues to weigh heavily on the hearts of Kansans and families across this great nation. It was a year ago today that flight 5342 left Wichita, Kansas, en route to Washington, DC, but as we all know, it never reached its destination. 67 lives were lost amongst them, seven Kansans, and certainly, families were changed forever. Today, we pause to remember those lives and honor their memory and to stand with the loved ones who carry this burden every day.”
“Mr. President, Kansans grieve together, and when tragedy strikes, we don’t do it alone. We lean on each other, we lean on our faith, and we lean on our communities. But today, we just want to remember those who were lost. Remembering these were Kansans. They were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, parents, friends and coworkers, and many were simply doing what so many of us do every day, traveling for work, for family, or to return home.”
“The best way we can honor those we lost is by remembering them and learning from the tragedy. We’ve tried to ensure there was full accountability since these tragic accidents. We tried our best to ensure complete transparency and then take a look to the future to see what we could do for safety of future flights. And certainly, we owe it to their families and to the memory of these loved ones to pursue these improvements and never forget why it matters.”
“I recall a phone call early the next morning from the mayor of Wichita, Kansas, Mayor Lily Wu and she asked me, and we have a good friendship, she said, Roger, what can I tell the people of Wichita, so that they know that it’s safe to travel on this flight? And she pointed out, you know, this is the busiest runway in all of America. And she asked me, why was a military helicopter in that airspace? So, I picked up the phone, and I asked our Secretary of Transportation and our Secretary of then defense that same question, why would a helicopter be in that airspace? And they, at that moment, or shortly minutes after that, they grounded any helicopters from being in that airspace.”
“And then what did the Senate do? I’m so proud of what my colleagues have done. Senator Moran has helped lead the charge on that and many others, but we passed the ROTOR Act out of the Senate, which would implement common-sense reforms to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again. And I would hope that our colleagues on the House side would also pass this bill, and we can get it to the President’s desk.”
“So just in closing, Mr. President, here we are a year later, and we’re here to remember, to honor, and try to figure out the best ways to move forward. But at the end of the day, we want the families of those back home to remember that we’ve not forgotten about their loved ones and that their lives did matter.”
“And I think I’d be remiss not to express gratitude to the first responders that we met that night out in the frigid cold, sacrificing their lives, diving into the chilly waters in hopes of finding someone whom they could save. So, thanks to all our first responders.”
“And finally, of course, we pray that God would continue to comfort the families who lost their loved ones. Thank you, Mr. President, and I yield back.”
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Contact: Payton Fuller
