‘I love you PJ and always will’: Remembering Wichita man who loved taking cruises
Pete “PJ” Diaz loved traveling and took multiple cruises a year.
The 30-year-old Wichita man, who graduated from Valley Center High School, was among the 67 victims in Wednesday night’s collision when American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter while descending to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River.
No one survived.
Diaz is survived by parents and two older sisters.
He flew dozens of times each year for his job in aviation, but was flying for leisure during this trip. He was also known to go on multiple cruises each year and had been planning an extra long cruise later this year.
“I don’t post often but my heart is broken and reaching out for prayers for me and my family,” his mother, Linda Diaz, is quoted saying in a GoFundMe that was set up to help the family. “My son PJ was on the flight to DC that crashed. Please pray God gives us strength to get through this devastating time. I love you PJ and always will.”
The fundraiser can be found at shorturl.at/zYcNN.
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 10:49 AM with the headline "‘I love you PJ and always will’: Remembering Wichita man who loved taking cruises."