In January, two Moody's Ratings analysts were on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter 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. The three soldiers aboard the helicopter also lost their lives.
The plane on a flight from Wichita, Kansas, flown for American by subsidiary PSA Airlines, collided with the Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on its final approach to Reagan National Airport. Collins and Nicandri were returning to the New York metro area from a work conference in Kansas with a connection through Reagan National.
Collins and Nicandri, on Moody's Public, Project and Infrastructure Finance team, both covered higher education institutions.
"Chris and Melissa were cherished colleagues who embodied our values and enriched our lives with kindness and warmth," a 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, who was 42, a vice president and senior analyst in Moody's Stamford, Connecticut office, had been with Moody's for 11 years. The Dighton, Massachusetts, native was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. He started his career as a middle school teacher. Driven by his passion to influence education policy on a broader scale, Collins went back to school and pursued a Master of Science degree in public policy from Brown University. Upon graduation he went to work for Moody's.
Collins was a true adventurer with a passion for outdoors, according to friends. He had hiked in Iceland, camped and rafted in the Great Smoky Mountains and skied and snowboarded in numerous places.
Collins is survived by his wife, Jennifer Thomas of Stamford, Connecticut, parents, Bob and Nancy Collins of Marion, Massachusetts, brother, Matthew (wife Jennifer, children Dominic and Sienna) of North Dighton, in-laws Jim and Tina Thomas of Savannah, Georgia.
Nicandri, 28, had been with Moody's for two and a half years. She was returning home to Brooklyn Heights.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Nicandri attended school in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and then went on to Vanderbilt University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 2018. At Vanderbilt she served as a peer guide at the Center for Student Wellbeing, was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and a Gamma Chi and tutored with the after school program.
While in college Nicandri spent summers in D.C., interning on the Hill. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Nicandri worked at IT services and consulting firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton before returning to school and obtaining a Master's Degree in international economic and finance from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. With her Master's in hand, Nicandri landed a job at Moody's.
Nicandri was an explorer at heart. She had traveled extensively throughout Europe and visited several countries in Central and South America. She also volunteered for various organizations, including Ronald McDonald House and Habitat for Humanity.
Nicandri is survived by her parents, brother Michael, grandparents Eugene and Lois Nicandri and Bonnie Lynch, aunts uncles and a number of cousins.
