MEMORIAL SERVICE MARKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
OF FLIGHT 587 CRASH IN THE ROCKAWAYS
BY BILL PARRY
A small group of family
members of the victims
of Flight 587 braved an early
morning rainstorm Friday,
Nov. 12, to attend a memorial
service in Rockaway Park,
which marked the 20th anniversary
of the tragic crash in
nearby Belle Harbor.
The American Airlines
Airbus A300 took off from
John F. Kennedy Airport on
the morning of Nov. 12, 2001,
with 260 people on board
heading to the Dominican
Republic. However, the plane
crashed into Belle Harbor
just three minutes after takeoff,
killing five more victims
on the ground.
Mayor Bill de Blasio comforted
family members of the
victims as they gathered at
the Flight 587 Memorial at
the north end of 116th Street
where bells rang at 9:16 a.m.
to mark the moment of impact.
Investigators would later
determine a broken rudder
was to blame after the pilot
hit the wake turbulence of a
preceding jet and lost control
of the aircraft.
“It’s hard to believe 20
years have passed but we all
can feel, right here, what it
felt like those days just after
9/11, feeling that pain already.
Community members and elected officials gathered for the 20th remembrance of the Flight 587 crash in the Rockaways.
And then another tragedy,
a tragedy felt from the
Dominican Republic all the
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | NOV. 19 - NOV. 25, 2021
way here to Belle Harbor,” de
Blasio said. “Two-hundredsixty
five good souls lost. And
Photos by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
that pain does not go away,
but we still, even amidst
the pain, appreciate all the
people who came in that moment
to try to help — the first
responders, the people from
the neighborhood who tried
to help from that moment on.
And then for 20 years since,
the way you have all helped
each other, you’ve been there
for each other. You’ve created
a community and out of the
pain, you found something so
good and noble.”
The aircraft slammed into
the ground at Newport Avenue
and Beach 131st Street.
The panic on the ground in
Belle Harbor was exacerbated
by fear of another terrorist
strike so soon after the
Sept. 11 attacks that brought
down the World Trade Center,
claiming the lives of so many
first responders who lived in
the Rockaways.
A moment of silence was
observed and the names of
the victims were read during
the solemn memorial.
“With the horrible tragedy
of 9/11 still fresh in
our minds, just two short
months later New York faced
another terrible plane crash
when American Airlines
flight 587 crashed in Belle
Harbor 20 years ago,” state
Senator Joseph Addabbo
said. “Today we remember
the 260 people on the flight,
along with the five people
on the ground that lost their
lives that day, and pray for
the family and friends that
they left behind.”
The mayor thanked the
sparse crowd for attending
the remembrance ceremony
in such inclement weather.
“After 20 years, it doesn’t
matter: The wind, the rain,
you are here to show that
love,” de Blasio said. “And
I honor you for that. Thank
you for always being there
for each other. Thank you for
always remembering. And we
will always stand by you. God
bless you all.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schneps
media.com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Mayor Bill de Blasio at the memorial service.
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