IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 857 
Honoring and remembering the victims of the crash of American Airlines 
Flight 587 in Rockaway Queens, New York, on November 12, 2001, 
and extending the sincerest condolences of the citizens of the United 
States to the families and friends of those individuals. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 9, 2023 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself and Mr. MEEKS) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring and remembering the victims of the crash of Amer-
ican Airlines Flight 587 in Rockaway Queens, New York, 
on November 12, 2001, and extending the sincerest con-
dolences of the citizens of the United States to the 
families and friends of those individuals. 
Whereas the people of New York and communities through-
out the United States experienced a terrible tragedy when 
American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor, 
Queens, claiming the lives of 260 individuals onboard and 
5 bystanders on the ground; 
Whereas Flight 587 took off at 9:14 a.m. from John F. Ken-
nedy International Airport bound for Las Ame´ricas Inter-
national Airport in Santo Domingo, the capital of the 
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Dominican Republic, with 260 passengers and crew on 
board; 
Whereas the disaster hit Rockaway especially hard, as the 
community was still reeling from the September 11 at-
tacks, in which 65 area residents lost their lives; 
Whereas around 90 percent of the passengers on the flight 
were of Dominican descent; 
Whereas the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 
2004 report determined that the probable cause of this 
accident was the in-flight separation of the vertical sta-
bilizer as a result of the loads beyond ultimate design 
that were created by the first officer’s unnecessary and 
excessive rudder pedal inputs; 
Whereas contributing to the rudder pedal inputs were charac-
teristics of the Airbus A300–600 rudder system design 
and elements of the American Airlines Advanced Aircraft 
Maneuvering Program; 
Whereas, since the 2004 NTSB report, American Airlines 
has modified its pilot training program; 
Whereas, on November 12, 2006, on the fifth anniversary of 
the accident, a memorial was constructed in Rockaway 
Park, in memory of the 265 victims of the crash; 
Whereas a ceremony commemorating the disaster is held an-
nually at the memorial every November 12, featuring a 
reading of the names of those killed aboard the aircraft 
and on the ground, with a formal moment of silence ob-
served at 9:16 a.m., the estimated time of the crash; 
Whereas the memorial wall, designed by Dominican artist 
Freddy Rodrı´guez and Situ Studio has windows and a 
doorway looking toward the nearby Atlantic Ocean and 
angled toward the Dominican Republic; and 
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Whereas November 12, 2021, marks the twentieth anniver-
sary of this tragedy: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That 
HONORING AND REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF 
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 587 
SECTION 1. 
(a) HONORING AND REMEMBERING VICTIMS.—The 
House of Representatives honors and remembers the vic-
tims of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, includ-
ing— 
(1) Captain Edward States, United States; 
(2) First Officer Sten Molin, United States; 
(3) Deborah Fontakis, United States; 
(4) Barbara Giannasca, United States; 
(5) Wilmer Gonzalez, United States; 
(6) Joseph Lopes, United States; 
(7) Michele Mills, United States; 
(8) Carol Palm, United States; 
(9) William Valdespino, United States; 
(10) Manuel Abreu, Dominican Republic; 
(11) Juana Abreu, United States; 
(12) Candida Rosa Acosta, United States; 
(13) Oneida Acosta De Araujo, United States; 
(14) Rosa Alcantara, United States; 
(15) Selene Alcantara, Dominican Republic; 
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(2) conveys the most sincere condolences of the 
citizens of the United States to the families, friends, 
and communities of the victims; and 
(3) solemnly marks the twenty-first anniversary 
of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in 
Rockaway Queens, New York. 
Æ 
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