Ohio college student from Wichita among 67 killed in DC plane crash

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A woman from Wichita who attended college at a small university in Ohio was among the 64 people on board the American Airlines flight out of Wichita that crashed with a military helicopter Wednesday night near the Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. Three service inside the Black Hawk helicopter also died, bringing the death toll to 67, federal officials confirmed.

In a statement sent to Cedarville University faculty students and staff, the school confirmed the death of Grace Maxwell, a junior from Wichita who was majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. Maxwell was on track to graduate next year and was on American Airlines flight 5342, traveling to campus from home.

The university’s statement described Maxwell as “a thoughtful, quiet student leader” “with a keen interest in helping others through engineering.”

The school said its president, Dr. Thomas White, would address the student body on Friday morning. The chapel program will be livestreamed at https://www.cedarville.edu/chapel/live.

Full statement from Cedarville University:

Dear Cedarville Family,

“Our hearts are broken. We received news that Grace Maxwell, a Cedarville student, was on board the American Airlines flight that crashed on Wednesday, January 29, in Washington, D.C. Reports state that there were no survivors.

This is heartbreaking news for her family and for our campus community.

Grace was a junior majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering and was anticipating her graduation in 2026. She was returning to campus from her home in Wichita, Kansas.

Grace was a resident of Maddox Hall and known to be a thoughtful, quiet student leader. During her college years, she assisted mechanical engineering faculty as a grader, most recently with Dr. Luke Fredette.

“Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering,” said Dr. Tim Norman, who served as her secondary advisor. Grace was scheduled to serve on a project team this semester that would begin to create a hand-stabilizing device for a differently enabled Dayton boy so he could feed himself rather than relying on others.

As it says in Psalm 34, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them and is near the brokenhearted.” 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.

Even though we don’t understand why this has happened, we are confident that Grace is with Jesus Christ. Those of us who believe in Christ will see her again. We grieve, but not as those without hope. In moments like these, we thank God for Jesus and that He will one day make all things news. Even amid the pain, we can trust Him.

When talking with her father, I asked what we could do to help. He responded that he knew Cedarville was full of praying people and that they would appreciate our prayers. With that in mind, please me in praying for the Maxwell family during the days ahead. Please also Grace’s friends and the entire School of Engineering as we mourn her loss. Once we learn more information about arrangements, we will share these details with you.

The Counseling Services staff is on standby for those students needing their services, and of our Student Life and Christian Ministries team will be in the Jeremiah Chapel on Friday afternoon for those who wish to pray, reflect, and talk throughout the day.”