A Washington-based attorney was on the doomed American Airlines plane because she had made a last-minute decision to fly back early to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend after a business trip.
Elizabeth “Liz” Keys, newly 33, was aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 to make it home in time to meet David Seidman, her partner of six years, for dinner — when the plane collided in midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night.
The couple had plans to dine at Maydan, a Northwest DC hotspot, before hosting friends at a joint birthday party Saturday, as Seidman’s birthday is Sunday, according to the Washington Post.
“She was just the best partner and so special, had such a sharp wit, and just really pushed everyone around her to be the best version of themselves,” Seidman, who never saw Keys land for their celebratory date, told the Enquirer.
Her family shared that they are experiencing “unbearable sorrow” following the loss of Keys, whom they described as an incredibly ambitious young attorney and valedictorian of her high school class in Cincinnati, according to a statement provided to WLWT5 by her parents, Mary and Martin Keys.
“Liz had a sharp wit and appreciated it in others. Gatherings were always better when Liz was there; she was filled with light and joy. Liz was a dear friend to so many, offering her best self to them all,” Mary Keys said.
“Elizabeth was strong and fearless — she embraced life at full speed. … Every weekend was full: Liz and David especially loved hosting their friends around their fire pit at their home in DC,” she said, adding that the crash occurred on the day of Keys’ 33rd birthday.
“Words cannot express how deeply Elizabeth, my Bitsy, will be missed. We are filled with unbearable sorrow and despair at our loss.”
Keys was a 2010 graduate of Madeira High School and went on to graduate in 2014 from Tufts University, where she was a member of the varsity sailing team, according to her family.
She then graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and began her work as an attorney for Wilkinson Stekloff in DC, according to her profile on the firm’s website.
She also dedicated her time to a pro bono practice.
Her former high school principal, Ray Spicher, described Keys as a model student and “natural leader.”
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“You knew that she was going to go on and be a tremendous success in life and make everybody proud,” he told WLWT5.
Keys is survived by her parents, Mary and Martin, the “love of her life” David Seidman, and their Yorkie, Tucker, according to her family
The military helicopter and the jetliner collided shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday in what was the deadliest airline crash in the US in over two decades.
At least 40 bodies had already been pulled from the frigid Potomac River after the American Airlines jet carrying 64 people collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.
