Charlotte's close ties to Wednesday's fatal plane crash (free version)
Plus: New podcast on the state of center city; forum to feature Charlotte's four Black mayors; the wait continues for public records about the hiring of Charlotte's interim city attorney
Good morning! Today is Friday, January 31, 2025. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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In the last week, we’ve told you about these original stories and more:
A Charlotte family’s foundation that has just reached $1M of giving to nonprofits that help people cope with challenges and tragedies
The sound engineer at Smoky Joe’s Cafe, who died recently at age 71
How Charlotte’s east side is gearing up for big change with the arrival of Eastland Yards
Mecklenburg County’s search for a new county manager
CATS’ flip-flop on plans for an underground bus station
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Charlotte’s connection to deadly Washington, D.C. plane crash runs deep, with CLT-based flight crew and passenger aboard and airline’s decision to relocate to Charlotte
The victims of Wednesday’s plane crash with ties to Charlotte included (l-r) flight attendant Danasia Elder, flight attendant Ian Epstein, passenger Wendy Shaffer, pilot Jonathan Campos and pilot Samuel Lilley (Photos from Facebook/GoFundMe)
by Cristina Bolling and Ted Reed
Hours after PSA Airlines announced on Wednesday it would move its headquarters to Charlotte, the carrier was involved in the worst U.S. aviation disaster in 23 years.
Wednesday night’s fatal collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport took the lives of 67 people.
All 60 passengers aboard the airplane and the four Charlotte-based crew members died in the crash. At least one passenger lived in Charlotte. The three people aboard the helicopter also died.
The flight was operated by PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group. PSA announced Wednesday afternoon that it would move its headquarters to Charlotte. The collision occurred just before 9 p.m.
It was the deadliest crash since Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, killing all 260 people aboard and five on the ground.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, who flew to Washington to console family members of the victims, appeared Thursday afternoon in a video statement.
Charlotte connections: Charlotte’s ties became clear throughout Thursday as family and friends revealed the identities of the deceased and airline officials released more information on the crash.
The two flight attendants working on the commercial flight were from the Charlotte area, according to family and friends who spoke about them to local media outlets and paid tribute to them on social media.
They were identified as:
Danasia Elder, who was married with two young children, had trained with PSA as a flight attendant last year. “She was the sweetest human,” posted a friend who worked and trained alongside her.
Ian Epstein, a father, stepfather and husband who enjoyed joking around with passengers to ease their nerves, his ex-wife told the Charlotte Observer. In a statement, his family said he was “full of life.”
The two pilots were also based in Charlotte, although at least one lived elsewhere. They were:
Samuel Lilley, 28, who grew up in Georgia and was engaged to be married. He followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a pilot, his sister told the Observer.
Jonathan Campos, 34, who was the flight’s captain and worked for PSA airlines for 8 years, his aunt told The New York Times. Although he was part of a Charlotte-based crew, his home was in Florida, she told the newspaper.
At least one passenger aboard the airplane was from Charlotte:
Wendy Shaffer, a wife and mother of two young boys, “was the heart of her family,” according to a GoFundMe online fundraiser set up Thursday for the family. “She was a radiant soul, a devoted wife to Nathan, and an incredible mother to her two beautiful boys ages 3 and 1. Her love, kindness, and unwavering spirit touched everyone who knew her, and her absence leaves a void that can never be filled,” the GoFundMe read.
PSA announcement preceded the crash: Just hours before the crash on Wednesday, PSA announced that it would move its headquarters to Charlotte from Ohio and planned to bring 400 jobs to Charlotte.
The airline took the name of Pacific Southwest Airlines, which was known as PSA and was also known for the smile painted on the front of its planes. In 1988, PSA merged with USAirways, which operated a hub in Charlotte. US Airways merged with American in 2013.
PSA is now one of several airlines that flies under the American Eagle name.
In a news release on Wednesday, PSA said that the move means that North Carolina is gaining a “hometown airline” as well as job opportunities.
It said it has invited 350 of its 900 Dayton employees to move to Charlotte and plans to locate its headquarters at 2709 Water Ridge Parkway, which is in the Water Ridge Office Park off Tyvola Road not far from the airport.
Cristina Bolling is managing editor of The Ledger: cristina@cltledger.com. Ted Reed covers the airport and airlines for The Ledger. He is a former Miami Herald and Charlotte Observer reporter.
Related Ledger article:
🎧New podcast episode: The state of Charlotte’s center city
Charlotte Center City Partners, an organization that promotes and advocates for uptown and South End, released its annual report on the state of the center city this week.
Ledger editor Tony Mecia sat down with the organization’s president and CEO, Michael Smith, and its senior vice president of economic development, James LaBar, on a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast to dive into aspects of the report.
There’s lots going on in and around Charlotte’s center, including renovations to the Spectrum Center and Bank of America Stadium, construction of the new main library and renovations to the Carolina Theatre, construction of The Pearl medical district, extension of the rail trail pedestrian bridge and more.
The last few years have also been challenging for the pipeline of new development. The current pipeline is lower than last year, center city officials say, because a number of the projects that had been in the pipeline are now complete, and because the cost of construction and financing are higher, making it harder for developers to complete projects.
In this episode of the podcast, LaBar and Smith discussed:
The outlook for continued development and construction in the center city.
How Charlotte compares to other cities.
Developers’ expectations for the next 12 to 24 months.
How the perception of uptown is evolving.
The uptown office market and its vacancy challenges.
Trends in recruitment for new businesses looking at the Charlotte market.
You can listen to the full report breakdown on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast. It’s worth a listen!
Charlotte’s four Black mayors will share the stage Tuesday at a civic forum
In what’s bound to be one of the most interesting panels we’ve seen in awhile, Charlotte’s four Black mayors — including three former mayors and current mayor Vi Lyles — are sitting down together Tuesday morning at the Sarah Stevenson Tuesday Forum.
The forum, which is a weekly gathering at the Belmont Regional Center on Parkwood Avenue near uptown, hosts speakers on a range of civic issues, from education to politics.
It should be a good discussion, because the four mayors have unique histories and have lived very distinct lives, each notable in their own right:
◼️Harvey B. Gantt was the first Black student accepted at Clemson University, and later became an architect and the first Black mayor of Charlotte.
◼️Anthony Foxx was Charlotte’s youngest mayor and went on to become the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
◼️Patrick Cannon was a longtime city councilman who resigned as mayor after he was charged with accepting bribes from undercover agents posing as businessmen wanting to work for the city. He later served prison time.
◼️Vi Lyles is Charlotte’s current mayor and the city’s first female Black mayor.
The forum is open to the public, or it’s available via livestream on the organization’s Facebook page. —Cristina Bolling
City of Charlotte public records update: Day 4️⃣6️⃣, still waiting
It’s time once again for our regular feature, “Public Records Update,” our quasi-regular feature in which we take you behind the curtain and share how your local governments are responding (or not responding) to legit and reasonable requests to provide records as required by state law.
Interim City Attorney Anthony Fox (not the former mayor of the same name) has been on the job for nearly four weeks. How much did the Charlotte City Council agree to pay him?
We have no idea. It has been 46 days since The Ledger asked for the employment agreement between the city and one of its top officials, and the city has failed to provide it. State law says that public records are to be turned over to people who request them “as promptly as possible.”
On Dec. 16, we requested several items from the city that are without question public documents. Here’s the list and the status update:
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
SATURDAY: Town Hall with City Councilman Ed Driggs, 9 a.m. - noon at the St. Matthew Catholic Church New Life Center Banquet Room. Topics to be discussed by city staff include community area planning and new UDO categories, updates on District 7 projects and rezoning and a CMPD safety update.
SUNDAY: Amazing Grace: Stories of African American Courage, Strength, and Resilience, 12-6 p.m. at the Mint Museum Uptown. Celebrate the closing of the exhibition Southern/Modern with an artist-response installation featuring works by Nellie Ashford, Princess Cureton, John Miles, Georgie Nakima, Jaznae Norman, and Brenda Pinkston; art-making activities led by Dena Jones, local artist and art manager at Charlotte Douglas International Airport; a curator and artist talk, gallery tours; and live jazz music with Harvey Cummings; and performance by Quentin “Q” Talley. Free.
FEB. 14: IDK Ukulele: Taylor Swift, 6-7 p.m. at the Arts+ Community Campus, 2304 The Plaza, Charlotte. “I don't know anything about the ukulele...” Perfect! Come join us for our IDK Workshop Series. By the end of this Valentine’s Day Special, you’ll have learned to play a couple new love songs and be able to enjoy playing on your own. Cost: $25.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
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⏰DON’T FORGET to nominate someone for the Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, Presented by U.S. Bank. The deadline is Feb. 17, but why not send yours in today?
In brief
Lawmakers plan phone restrictions in schools: North Carolina lawmakers are revisiting efforts to regulate cell phone use in schools, with a proposed bill that could ban phones for younger students and restrict them during the school day for older students. Lawmakers are also considering legislation on social media privacy for minors and exploring cautious approaches to regulating artificial intelligence. (NC Newsline)
New women’s pro basketball league: Charlotte will welcome a new professional women's basketball team next year in the UpShot League, which will play at Bojangles Coliseum. The league, starting with teams in Charlotte, Greensboro, Jacksonville and Savannah, aims to provide a developmental platform for women players, with games beginning in May 2026. (Axios Charlotte)
Carowinds layoffs: Carowinds has laid off an unspecified number of workers ahead of its March opening, following the merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags. The park is still hiring seasonal employees and planning new attractions, including a roller coaster and raft ride for 2025. (Charlotte Observer)
Wedding scam arrest: The owner of wedding venue Champagne Manor in Union County was arrested for allegedly defrauding engaged couples and investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Investigators said couples paid between $40,000 and $50,000 for wedding packages only to find out their payments didn't cover the services that were promised. Jason Lottmann is being held on a $1M secured bond. (WSOC)
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