An American Airlines pilot prioritized putting passengers at ease before take-off in his pre-flight announcement following the tragic and deadly collision earlier this week at Ronald Regan Washington National Airport.
Leighton Mixon, a passenger on an American Airlines Thursday evening flight 1044 from Jacksonville International Airport to Miami, found such comfort from the pilot's sincere welcome aboard message, assuring everyone's safety. He shared the clip on social media for the world to hear.
"[You] may be fearful about flying, and that's certainly understandable. But just please know that my first officer and our flight attendants and myself, place your safety and responsibility of carrying you to Miami to your families, your vacations, your meetings at the highest level," Captain Jeffrey Collins said over the intercom to the passengers aboard AA1044.
@leighterhaters Life is short, hug your people ❤️ whoever is the pilot on AA1044 to MIA, i love you #unitedbywings #americanairlines #blackhawk #crash75 #planecrash #aviation #flightcrew #flightattendant ♬ original sound - Leighton Mixon
"I have no higher calling than carefully, professionally transporting you today," he continued. "So with that, relax and enjoy the beautiful evening that we get to fly in. We’ll be underway shortly. Welcome aboard."
Sixty-seven people are dead after a regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night over Washington, D.C., officials said, the nation's first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
The aircraft went down in the frigid Potomac River, breaking into multiple pieces. The flight -- which had departed from Wichita, Kansas -- was approaching Reagan National Airport at the time of the collision, officials said. There were no survivors in the crash, officials said.
There were 64 passengers aboard the plane, and three Army soldiers in the helicopter, according to officials.
MORE: DC plane crash victims: College professor, newly engaged pilot among the 67 people killedMixon, who was flying to go on vacation the day after the fatal crash in D.C., told "Good Morning America" that "all it takes is one event like what took place at DCA to just absolutely rattle you."
"I think it’s shaken up everyone, but there’s just an added weight to be an airline employee because that could’ve been any of us," Mixon, who said he's been a flight attendant with American Airlines for three years, continued. "That’s our -- what we call 'fAAmily.'"
"My heart was heavy, and as someone who doesn’t have a fear of flying at all, that could absolutely create a fear," he said. "But I went [onto the] flight anyway trying not to dwell on it, and that pilot said the exact words I needed to hear. It felt like he was speaking to just me. But after looking around, it was clear that everyone else needed to hear it too."
ABC News' Julia Reinstein and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
