(WKYT) – Families, first responders, friends and local officials gathered Thursday at the arboretum in Lexington to remember the 49 people killed when Flight 5191 crashed shortly after takeoff on Aug. 27, 2006.
Families said they do not want the crash remembered as just another aviation tragedy.
“I want it remembered as 49 human stories,” one family member said.
Sue Byrd’s son, Brian Byrd, was one of the 49 killed. He and his fiancé’ were on the flight.
“I imagine Brian and Judy sitting together holding hands. I don’t know they were. But I know they were in love,” Byrd said.
Stories of those on board
John and Scarlett Hooker had just married and were on their honeymoon. Others on the flight had different reasons for taking the early Sunday morning flight.
“They were not people who saw a 6 a.m. flight as an inconvenience, a 6 a.m. flight was an opportunity. To get ahead of the day,” said Matthew Snoddy, Tim Snoddy’s grandson.
The plane crashed just after 6 a.m. when it took off from the wrong runway. Pilot error was blamed for the crash. At Thursday’s ceremony, little was said about the reasons for the crash. The focus was on the people who died.
“This is not a eulogy for Tim. This is an illustration. His life was a thread of what we often call a tapestry,” Snoddy said.
“I wonder what his life would look like today. What he would have accomplished. What kind of husband he would have become,” Byrd said.
Remembering 20 years later
Byrd said birthdays are never the same, and holiday gatherings always have a missing chair. She said the memorial shows that good things continue.
“The birds remind us that although those lives ended, the love surrounding them did not. Love remains behind. Love carries on to families,” Byrd said.
Twenty years have passed, but some said the tragedy sometimes still feels like it happened yesterday.
Many first responders and local officials who were called to the crash, or who served in some way during it, also attended Thursday’s ceremony.
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A memorial at the University of Kentucky’s Arboretum honors each of the passengers and crew who were killed.
The community is gathering today to honor their memory at a memorial service at the Lexington Arboretum.