Two Moody’s analysts among lives lost in American Airlines crash

Two Moody’s Ratings analysts were on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., killing all aboard.

Analysts Chris Collins and Melissa Nicandri were among the 64 passengers and crew aboard American Airlines flight 5342, according to a spokesperson for the rating agency.  The three soldiers aboard the helicopter also lost their lives.

The plane, flown for American by subsidiary PSA Airlines, collided with the Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on final approach to Reagan National Airport on a flight from Wichita, Kansas.

Collins and Nicandri were both analysts on Moody’s Public, Project and Infrastructure Finance team, and both covered higher education institutions.

“Chris and Melissa were cherished colleagues who embodied our values and enriched our lives with kindness and warmth,” the Moody’s spokesperson said in a statement. “They leave an immeasurable void in our community, and our hearts go out to their families, friends, and colleagues, as well as all those grieving from this terrible tragedy.”

Collins, a vice president and senior analyst, had been with Moody’s for 11 years. Nicandri, an analyst, had been with the company for two and a half years.

Collins was a native of North Dighton, Massachusetts, according to a family statement distributed to news media in Massachusetts.

“Our family is devastated by the loss of Chris, our beloved husband, son, brother, and uncle,” his family said.

Nicandri, 28, of Brooklyn, was the granddaughter of St. Lawrence County, New York, Judge Eugene Nicandri, a former New York Power Authority trustee.

“She was a beautiful granddaughter,” he told WWNY news in Watertown, New York.