‘Thank you to the best boss’: Maryland man who died in plane crash loved his wife, sons

Jonathan D. Boyd’s Facebook page is filled with photos of his wife and two sons; and his public posts are always about thanking her for all she does.

The 40-year-old Southern Maryland man was one of the 67 people who died when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter while trying to land in D.C.

Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River. No one survived.

Boyd, who is in upper management at a company that does plumbing and HVAC, was returning home after hunting around Great Bend with friends. Seven of them were on the plane that took off from Wichita; three drove home with the hunting dogs and shotguns.

They had hunted ducks, geese and pheasant, and had been very successful. A photo of them online shows the group in front of 70-plus geese.

Facebook photos show Boyd and his family on numerous fishing and hunting adventures and attending his oldest son’s hockey games; it also shows he liked riding his custom motorcycle.

In late December, in his last public Facebook post, he thanked his wife on her birthday for all she does.

“You are the hardest working, most kind and compassionate person I have ever met,” he wrote. “I love you more than I could ever put into words! Wyatt, Reed and I are so blessed to have you in our lives and can’t wait to celebrate you today!!!”

Boyd’s LinkedIn says that he was promoted to senior vice president at Heffron Company in April 2024. He had worked for the company for more than 22 years. A post on the company website from about a decade ago says he “trained and certified on most all large HVAC equipment.” Steamfitters Local 602 in Maryland said he had been a member for 20 years.

“How do you say thank you to the best boss,” Chris Yarbrough said in a Facebook post about Boyd. “The best of the best. I had the pleasure to know you, be your apprentice, call you a mentor and just an awesome friend to myself and my family.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help his 11-year-old son’s “education, his passion for hockey, and his future aspirations.” It can be found at shorturl.at/Cc4Gv.

This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM.