Santa Barbara Family Seeks Justice After Tragic D.C. Plane Crash Claimed Loved One’s Life
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Kristen Miller-Zahn and her family never imagined that January 29th would change her life forever.
She was at home in Santa Barbara, watching television, when she saw the devastating news—an American Airlines flight had crashed over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
"I had actually spoken to my brother the day before," Kristen recalled. "He traveled a lot for work, and I got a notification about a crash out of Wichita, Kansas into D.C."
American Airlines Flight 5342 had collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter midair. All 67 people aboard both aircraft lost their lives—one of them was Kristen’s brother, Dustin Miller.
"We had to play the waiting game because they weren’t releasing names at first," she said.
Eventually, American Airlines confirmed the worst. Dustin had been on the plane. Friends he had FaceTimed during the flight recalled him laughing about a funny flight attendant and sitting in first class with Russian figure skaters.
Dustin, a senior IT specialist for Watermark Properties in Kansas, was described as "authentic and deeply loved."
As the family mourns, they also seek answers. Their attorney, Robert Curtis, is pursuing legal action against the U.S. Army and the Federal Aviation Administration.
"We want to know why that helicopter was operating above its vertical ceiling limits," Curtis said. "The collision occurred between 313 and 285 feet, while the helicopter’s limit was 200 feet. Why was this allowed?"
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports revealed over 15,000 near-misses at Reagan Airport from October 2021 to December 2024.
"That’s one out of every 62 flights," Curtis stated. "Each had a potential collision with a helicopter."
Kristen vows to fight for justice.
"I will go wherever I need to go and advocate for my brother until this is put to rest—so no one else has to go through what we have."
For now, the family grieves and waits.
"My dad lost his best friend. I lost my best friend," Kristen said through tears. "It’s very painful."
