Grace Maxwell, a junior mechanical engineering major at Cedarville University, was one of the individuals on board the flight from Kansas to Washington when it collided with an Army copter. The unfortunate incident resulted in the presumed deaths of all 67 individuals on the flight.
Cedarville University, located in Cedarville, Ohio, expressed sadness as they confirmed the tragic news of Grace Maxwell’s involvement in the plane crash at Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday. According to reports, the American Airlines Flight 5342 that Grace Maxwell was on collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk Helicopter during its landing approach.
The aftermath of the collision led to both the plane and the helicopter crashing into the Potomac River. Despite the efforts of rescue crews, no survivors have been found so far. In a letter addressed to the students and faculty on Thursday, Cedarville University shared the heartbreaking information about the loss of Grace Maxwell in the tragic accident.
“Grace was on her way back from her grandfather’s funeral,” Cedarville University President Thomas White said at the start of the memorial service in her honor Friday morning. “Can you imagine losing a parent and seven days later losing a child? I want us to pray for the Maxwell family. I want us to lift them up during this time.”
According to Cedarville, a Baptist school in the Greater Dayton area, Maxwell was a mechanical engineering major with a minor in biomedical engineering. She had apparently been flying to Washington from her hometown of Wichita, Kansas, on her journey to return to the university.
“Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering,” Dr. Tom Norman, Maxwell’s secondary advisor, said in a statement. The school also referred to her as a “leader” who was involved in a number of projects, including one scheduled for this semester that will help create a hand-stabilizing device for a Dayton boy.
“As it says in Psalm 34, ‘When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them and is near the brokenhearted,'” the school’s letter continued. “Our hearts are broken, but we come together as a family knowing the Lord hears our cries and is near us at this very difficult time. “
Cedarville President Dr. Thomas White is expected to address the student body Friday morning from the Dixon Ministry Center. Counselors are also available, and student ministers will be providing grief and prayer services tomorrow afternoon at Jeremiah Chapel.
Flight 5342, which was being operated by American subsidiary PSA Airlines (headquartered in Dayton), contained 60 passengers and four crew members. Three soldiers on the Blackhawk also died in the collision.
