Flight 587 remembered in New York City 10 years later

Only months after the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Americans remember another tragedy that happened in 2001, the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, also in New York City.

When Flight 587 crashed in Queens, just miles from the site of the World Trade Center, fear spread through the country at the thought of another terrorist attack. Footage of the jetliner took over every television channel until it was realized that the crash was actually an accident and Americans could breathe a sigh of relief.

But even though this day didn’t mean the same as 9/11, it reminded Americans of the fear felt only two months earlier. More importantly, it signifies the loss of 265 lives for loved ones. Every person on board the craft died, along with five people on the ground.

The wreck remains the second deadliest aviation accident on US soil, the Associated Press reported.

The crash occurred in Howard Beach, a small neighborhood in Queens. Ten years later hundreds of people gathered Saturday morning for a seaside memorial of those lost, the AP reported.

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Flight 587 was on its way to Santo Domingo that morning. This flight in particular usually transported travelers between New York and the Dominican Republic, and was packed mostly with Dominicans or Dominican-Americans that morning, Fox News reported. On Saturday about 50 residents from the Dominican town, Baní, traveled to the memorial site, Fox News reported.

The ceremony held near the site in the Rockaways was similar to those on 9/11, with a bell toll at 9:15 a.m. signifying the moment the plane went down, the AP reported. Every victim’s name was read by relatives.

"Ten years have gone by, but as you know all too well, every day in the wake of tragedy is a day of remembrance," said New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the AP reported.

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