MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — ValuJet Flight 592 departed on May 11, 1996, from Miami International Airport to Atlanta and crashed in the Florida Everglades, killing 105 passengers and 5 crew members.
To mark the 30th anniversary, Helene McDowell and Christen Cherry were among the grieving relatives who met for a ceremony at the ValuJet 592 Memorial off Tamiami Trail.
“I think being here has been very cathartic ... I was the one that dropped her off at the airport that day, and it has always been a source of guilt for me,” McDowell said about her late mother.
The Value Jet pilot of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, a short-range jet airliner, was attempting to return to MIA after a fire, and the plane crashed just about 10 minutes after takeoff, records show.
“It was negligence that killed all of our families,” said Cherry, who was grieving her mother and stepfather.
Federal investigators would later learn that “improperly packaged chemical oxygen generators” in the cargo compartment “quickly burned through flight control cables,” records show.
This prompted federal officials to enforce new mandatory safety standards for cargo holds, hazardous material regulations, and contractor oversight.
THE 110 VICTIMS
The passengers
Saeeda Alihassan, Atlanta
James Allaway, Miami
Isabel Anderson, Cookeville, Tenn.
Leslie Archibald, Opa-Locka, Fla.
Rizwan Arshad, Philadelphia
Giuseppe Bafunno, Blackwood, N.J.
Marlo Balandran, Topeka, Kan.
Thomas Balandran, Topeka, Kan.
Jen Barreiro, Bloomington, Ind.
Herbert Bell, Elkwood, Va.
Peggy Bell, Elkwood, Va.
Terri Bell, The Colony, Texas
Anthony Brown, Rose Hill, N.C.
Frances Brown, Baltimore
Lynn Brown, Rose Hill, N.C.
Joe Burnett, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Cecelia Cabrera, Miami
Ronald Carpenter, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Lisa Carleton, Conyers, Ga.
Ninon Corneille, Lynn, Mass.
Edna Crye, Richmond, Ind.
Ken Crye, Richmond, Ind.
Karen Culver, Woodstock, Ga.
Rodney Culver, Woodstock, Ga.
Mansor Darbor, Atlanta
Bradley Ehrlichman, Indianapolis, Ind.
Betsy Favero, Duluth, Ga.
Franco Favero, Duluth, Ga.
Laura Favero, Duluth, Ga.
Charles Fluitt, Miami
Elizabeth Gabriel, Mooresville, N.C.
Deana Gabr, Conyers, Ga.
Pamela Gabr, Conyers, Ga.
Carlos Gonzalez, Alpharetta, Ga.
Angie Green, Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Griner, Marietta, Ga.
Steve Guiler, Buford, Ga.
Conway Hamilton, Miami
Laurie Hamilton, Miami
Carol Hanchey, Conyers, Ga.
John Hanchey, Conyers, Ga.
Elaine Hayman, Columbus, Ohio
Robert Hayman, Columbus, Ohio
Susan Heffernan, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Michael Howard, Hialeah, Fla.
Walter Hyatt, Nashville, Tenn.
Dan Jarvis, Gastonia, N.C.
Linda Jarvis, Gastonia, N.C.
Kathleen Kessler, Atlanta
Ison Kim, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Rafael Lameda, Cookeville, Tenn.
Aliyagi Landry, Hollywood, Fla.
Dana Lane, Alpharetta, Ga.
Roger Lane, Alpharetta, Ga.
Ray Lathem, Alpharetta, Ga.
Andrew Leonard, Cloverdale, Ind.
Jeremy Leonard, Cloverdale, Ind.
Tabitha Leonard, Cloverdale, Ind.
Jimmy Lewis, Fayetteville, Ga.
Devlin Loughney, United Kingdom
Roger Loughney, United Kingdom
Philmore Marks, Miami
Betty McLemore, Tybee Island, Ga.
Clark McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.
Judy McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.
Laura McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.
Lindsey McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.
Neil McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.
Judy Medeiros, Rex, Ga.
Robert Medeiros, Rex, Ga.
Ella Mitchell, Miami
Andrew Nevil, Raleigh, N.C.
Lucille Newbold, Nassau, Bahamas
Maxwell Newbold, Nassau, Bahamas
Whilhelmina Oliver, Athens, Ga.
Lisa Pearson, Kansas City, Mo.
Laurese Perkins, Miami
David Quinones
Elida Ramirez, Dunwoody, Ga.
Donna Rennolds, Whittaker, Mich.
Kim Rennolds, Ypsilanti, Mich.
Howard Rietz, Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
Terri Rugg, Richmond, Ind.
Dennis Sabo, Auburn, Ala.
Ana Sanchez, Metairie, La.
Karin Shier, Savannah, Ga.
Vi Shier, Fayetteville, Ga.
Ailven Shotwell, College Park, Ga.
Jarvis Shotwell, College Park, Ga.
Joyce Simonton, Macon, Ga.
Paul Smith, Montgomery, Ala.
Joulaun Snowden
Hugh Stanley, Gainesville, Ga.
Louise Stanley, Gainesville, Ga.
Fred Steinbrener, Acworth, Ga.
Jerrold Thompson, Kansas City, Mo.
Roosevelt Tillman, Lynchburg, Va.
Lila Viloleta, Alpharetta, Ga.
Delmarie Walker, Erie, Pa.
James Weimer, Cloverdale, Ind.
Janice Weimer, Cloverdale, Ind.
Teresa Wilson, Tybee Island, Ga.
Ruth Wolfe, Gainesville, Ga.
Robert Woodus, Upper Marlboro, Md.
The crew
Captain: Candalyn Kubeck, Bedford, Texas
First Officer: Richard Hazen, Mineola, Texas
Flight Attendant: Lori Cushing, Austin, Texas
Flight Attendant: Jennifer Stearns, Farmers Branch, Texas
Flight Attendant: Mandy Summers, Irving, Texas
Location
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