Among the victims of last week’s tragic crash of an American Airlines passenger jet was a group of seven friends from Maryland, near the Washington, D.C., area, who had just wrapped up their annual duck and goose hunting trip with Fowl Plains Outfitters in Great Bend, Kansas. Their return home ended in disaster when their jet collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, killing all 67 people on board both aircraft. The crash, which occurred just minutes before the jet was scheduled to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, marks one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in the U.S. in over two decades. According to officials, the regional jet was on approach when the Army helicopter crossed into its flight path, resulting in a catastrophic collision that sent both aircraft plummeting into the river. Emergency response teams were on the scene within minutes, but no survivors were found. Now, the hunting community has come together to launch fundraisers for those affected by the crash.  

A Hunting Trip Turned Tragedy

For the seven friends, this trip was more than just a once-in-a-lifetime getaway—it was a tradition. Every year, the group traveled to Kansas to hunt waterfowl together. Among waterfowling circles in the East of Virginia and Maryland, several of the men were well known and very much liked. They had booked their hunt with Fowl Plains Outfitters, a highly regarded guide service that delivers world class duck and goose hunting in the central plains of Kansas—a must-visit waterfowl destination for any serious hunter.   

Just last month, iSportsman’s own Doug Howlett hunted with Fowl Plains before the holidays, an experience he has written about and recommended to others as one of the most exceptional duck and goose hunting experiences of his life. The outfitters, established in 2017, have built a reputation as a premier hunting operation, hosting sportsmen from across the country, including the group of Maryland hunters who lost their lives that day.   

Fowl Plains expressed their grief on Instagram following the crash, posting:   

We’ve always said our clients are more than friends. They’re family. Last night we lost 7 family members in the horrific plane crash. 7 family members we’ve had the privilege to hunt with the last few years. 

We’ve spent this past week, sharing the blind, laughing, talking about our families, and sharing memories. We are completely heartbroken. Please pray for the families, friends and for our 3 other hunters in the group who were driving home. 

Heartbroken is an understatement. 

Remembering the Victims   

Among those killed in the crash were a mix of pilots, passengers and crew members, including a young fiancé pilot, a civil rights attorney, figure skating champions, a college girl returning to school from her grandfather’s funeral and the group of hunters among others. The full list of victims continues to be confirmed, but the loss of the Maryland hunting group has hit the outdoor community particularly hard.   

Michael “Mikey” Stovall, 40, and Jesse Pitcher, 30, were among the hunters on board. Stovall’s mother, Christina Stovall, described her son as “the happiest person,” a man who “saw good in everybody.” Pitcher had recently married and was in the process of building a home, his father, Jameson Pitcher, told The New York Times.   

Four of the hunters were members of Steamfitters UA Local 602, a Washington, D.C.-based union. The union didn’t release any names at the time of their post but expressed, “Our hearts are heavy with grief.”   

According to Outdoor Life, the other five hunters who died in the crash in addition to Stovall and Pitcher were Jonathan “Jon” Boyd, 40; Tommy Clagett, 38; Alexander “Alex” Huffman, 34; Steve Johnson, 45; and Charles “Charlie” McDaniel, 44. 

Helping the Families with Fundraisers

The outdoor community has quickly rallied to help the families of the hunters lost in the crash through the establishment of a GoFundMe and a couple of high-end raffles. 

The level of support from the sporting community, friends and those touched by the tragedy has been incredible as the GoFundMe fund raiser has already brought in more than $211,000 in just a week with top donations from Kody Holdings, an auto group in Waldorf, Maryland, donating $10,000 and other large donations from companies and individuals such as Benelli in the amount of $1,000 and Matthew Facchina for $5,000 as just some of the examples. There have been more than 1,300 total donations so far. 

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Raffle Fundraisers

Meanwhile, Southern Oak Kennels and Fowl Plains, the outfitter where the hunters last hunted, are both offering separate raffles to raise additional funds for the families, and despite the cause being so somber, for the raffle winner there will be much to celebrate. 

Fowl Plains is offering an all-inclusive three-day Kansas goose hunt at their lodge. The hunt will take place in February 2026, the state’s prime goose hunting season, and includes three days of hunting, lodging, meals and drinks for the winner and nine friends. That’s correct, nine friends. That’s a value of at least $26,000 and from my time hunting there, will be one of the best waterfowl hunting experiences to be had in North America with amazing owners and guides who truly do treat each client like they are family.

Each entry into the raffle is only $100 and for each $100 spent, the buyer will have another chance entered into the drawing. Entries will be available until 8 p.m. CST on February 14. A winner will be drawn from the pool of entries on the evening of February 15. 

BetterWorld Fundraisers

The raffle page on BetterWorld.org states: “The proceeds from each entry* sold will go directly to the families of seven men who tragically died in the crash of PSA Airlines Flight 5342. These men were traveling home from goose hunting at Fowl Plains, and the entire Fowl Plains family is mourning the loss of these friends. Our hope is that this fundraiser will help these families in a tangible way as they continue to heal from such a terrible loss.” 

Southern Oak Kennels (SOK), headquartered in Guntown, Mississippi, and with eight locations throughout the upper Midwest, East and South, is a premier dog breeder and trainer that focuses on creating high-quality British Labrador retrievers who excel in the field as well as the home.

To help raise funds for the family of Mikey Stovall, who had a retriever bred and trained from SOK’s Great Lakes location in East Leroy, Michigan, SOK is raffling: a package that includes a puppy from British Field Trial Champion “Ozzy” and SOK-bred Grand Hunt Retriever Champion “Rose,” three months of training at SOK Great Lakes, a membership to Cornerstone Gundog Academy’s Complete Retriever Package, and a Gunner Kennel.” Like the other raffle, entries are $100 each and will be available until 8 p.m. CST on February 14 with a winner drawn the following evening of February 15. 

Nothing can replace the loss of these men to their families or friends or for themselves, whose lives were cut way too short, but whether donating directly to the GoFundMe fundraiser or paying for a chance to win two of the best raffles—Fowl Plains or Southern Oak Kennels—ever offered for gun dog and waterfowling enthusiasts, your dollars will go to good use and are an expression of how as bad as tragedies such as this are, they tend to bring the best out of humanity. 

Find more fundraisers and charitable opportunities on iSportsmanUSA.