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Families seek closure, gather 20 years after ValuJet crash

In this June 25, 2014 file photo, the ValuJet Memorial is seen in the Florida Everglades in Everglades National Park in Fla. ValuJet Flight 592 crashed while trying to make an emergency return to Miami on May 11, 1996, killing all 110 people on board. Relatives of the victims of Flight 592 will meet in the Florida Everglades to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, File)
In this June 25, 2014 file photo, the ValuJet Memorial is seen in the Florida Everglades in Everglades National Park in Fla. ValuJet Flight 592 crashed while trying to make an emergency return to Miami on May 11, 1996, killing all 110 people on board. Relatives of the victims of Flight 592 will meet in the Florida Everglades to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, File)

By Associated Press 3 min read

MIAMI (AP) – Relatives of the 110 people killed when ValuJet Flight 592 caught fire and plunged into Florida’s Everglades 20 years ago will meet and board airboats together on Wednesday to visit the remote crash site on the anniversary of the deaths.

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REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS

The first time Walter Simonton saw the Everglades, the desolation overwhelmed him as he grieved for his mother, whose plane was swallowed up by the wetlands. It was shortly after the May 11, 1996, crash of the Atlanta-bound plan near Miami, when mourners gathered with airline officials and emergency responders to drop roses into the murky waters.

Twenty years later, Simonton still feels haunted by those moments as he prepares to return to the Everglades with his brother and niece to the remote crash site.