A deadly flight out of Wichita has one of America's most historic aviation cities reeling

[Shrek]

https://archive.is/mNxIe

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — When American Eagle Flight 5342 took off from Wichita, the Midwest city with a proud aviation history was glowing from a big moment.

It had just hosted the next generation of Olympic hopefuls at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the kind of major sporting event that leaders of the largest city in Kansas had envisioned when they opened a 15,000-seat arena in 2010. For Wichita, which once built many of the nation’s aircraft, the skating showcase was another way of putting the community in America’s heartland on a larger stage.

Then came the horror of learning the flight never made it.

“We were so proud to see these high-level athletes, their families, their friends, fans, coming to our community and sharing their skills and talents so that the whole world could see,” Mayor Lily Wu said. “To end it with this type of tragedy just truly breaks my heart.”

The midair collision Wednesday night between the plane and an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., has left Wichita grieving. The worst U.S. air disaster in a generation killed 67 people, including young figure skaters who had attended a national development camp in Wichita following the championships. No one survived.