NORTH DIGHTON, Mass. — Another Massachusetts family is mourning the loss of a loved one killed in an airplane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.
Chris Collins, a native of North Dighton, was among 67 people killed when an American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River, his family said in a statement on Friday.
“Our family is devastated by the loss of Chris, our beloved husband, son, brother, and uncle,” his family said.
“Chris was a true adventurer with a passion for the outdoors and a lifelong love of animals. His talent as a financial professional brought him to New York City, where he fell in love with a city girl, his cherished wife Jen,” his family said.
“While Jen and Chris built a joy-filled city life together, Chris’ call to the outdoors never wavered, whether it was hiking Lögberg in Iceland, camping and rafting in the Great Smoky Mountains, skiing and snowboarding, and most of all, enjoying the coastal outdoor landscape of Brewster, MA and the rest of Cape Cod,” his family said.
Collins, who grew up in North Dighton, was “adored by his parents Bob and Nancy and was always ready for friendly competition with his brother, Matt,” his family said.
“The love of dogs he discovered early in life only grew stronger over the years. His frequent walks with the dogs at Lucky Dog Refuge in Stamford, CT brought him tremendous joy,” his family said.
Collins’ family is among other local families trying to grapple with the sudden loss of their loved ones.
Local figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan cried on Thursday when speaking about two promising young skaters from New England who died along with their mothers and coaches in a plane crash in Washington, D.C.
Jinna Han, 13, of Mansfield and Spencer Lane, 16, of Barrington, Rhode Island were identified by the The Skating Club of Boston as the two skaters who died in the crash along with their mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane.
The skaters’ coaches, Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, both of Norwood, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed twice in the Olympics, also died in the crash.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
