TUCSON — It’s been nearly two months since the tragic mid-air collision between a passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., which took the lives of 67 people, including former Tucsonan Dustin Miller. But the aftermath is still being felt, and as the investigation continues, Miller's family is looking for answers.
Miller called Tucson home for more than two decades. It wasn't until 2024 when he moved back to Kansas to be close to his parents.
His sister Kristen Miller-Zahn describes him as someone who kept to himself, staying under the radar, but also had a great sense of humor and quick wit. Above all, she says he was a giver.
"Probably 30 of his 43 years, that's all he did was just try to be a good person for everybody in his life," said Miller-Zahn
Her relationship with her brother was a loving one. "We were not afraid to say I love you," she said.
She said Miller worked as an IT specialist in Tucson, and it was a business trip that took him to Washington, D.C., on January 29. Miller-Zahn recalls the phone calls Dustin made just before taking off.
"He was in very good spirits," Miller-Zahn said. "He got upgraded to first class and he was sitting with some figure skaters, and he thought that was so cool, and he said the flight attendant was so funny."
But the tragedy that followed was something no family could ever prepare for—the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.
"Most people do not expect to lose a sibling and expect to lose them the way they did," Miller-Zahn said.
She urges anyone with loved ones to express their love, as it could be the last opportunity.
"I know that I loved my brother, and I know that he loved me, and I just want to see people loving each other more," she said.
For Miller-Zahn, the trauma of the crash extends beyond just losing her brother.
"For me, I'm not afraid to get on a plane because I'm afraid it will crash," she said. "I’m afraid to get on a plane because right now, emotionally, it carries a memory."
Following the release of a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration has permanently restricted helicopter operations around Reagan National Airport.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described it as an “intolerable risk to aviation safety” and stated that the FAA should have identified the threat earlier, given that it had data on more than 15,000 near-miss incidents between 2021 and 2024.
But the investigation is still ongoing, and Miller-Zahn says she's searching for accountability. "Everyone that lost their life, their family deserves for whatever is responsible for there to be accountability."
"My family and I, and as I'm sure everybody, we want answers and we won't rest until we have them," she said. "We want all of the answers to every question you can think about."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he will follow the NTSB recommendations and promised to use artificial intelligence to review all the data to make sure similar dangers don’t exist at other airports.
Full NTSB investigations typically take a year or more, so answers may still be a long time coming. But for families like Miller's, the search for clarity continues.
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
