7 Friends Returning From Duck Hunt In Kansas Among American Airlines Victims: 'It Was A Boys Trip'

Seven friends from the Washington, D.C., area were among the 67 people killed in the collision between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. military helicopter as they returned from a "boys' trip" duck hunting in Kansas.

They were in a party of 10 that spent days with outfitter Fowl Plains in Great Bend, a little more than 100 miles northwest of Wichita, the Wichita Eagle reported.

Three of the group decided to drive back East because it was easier to transport their hunting dogs and shotguns, the report said.

"It was a boys trip. They were there on a duck hunt," Shawna Slarb, a cousin of Michael Stovall, one of the victims, told the New York Times.

Along with Stovall, 40, the other six were identified by the Wichita Eagle as: Jesse Pitcher, 30; Steve Johnson, 45; Alexander Huffman, 34; Charles McDaniel, 44; Jonathan Boyd, 40 and Tommy Clagget, 38.

The pals were on American Airlines Flight 5342 Wednesday night when the plane and the Black Hawk chopper collided near Reagan National Airport, sending both aircraft crashing into the icy waters of the Potomac River.

All 64 passengers and crew on the passenger jet and the three soldiers in the helicopter died.

Stovall was a steamfitter in Maryland, a Baltimore Orioles fan and an avid hunter and skier, Slarb told the New York Times.

Jesse Pitcher's father, Jameson Pitcher, told the publication his son knew the other men because they worked together.

The dad said his 30-year-old son owned a plumbing business and had been married for about one year. The younger Pitcher and his wife, Kylie, were building a new house.

"He was just getting started with life," Jameson Pitcher said.

The father said son told him he was looking forward to the Kansas trip and being with friends.

"He said he'd see me when he got back," Jameson Pitcher said.

The outfitter, Fowl Plains, called the seven friends "family" that they "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," the company said on Facebook, showing photos of the group.

"Heartbroken is an understatement," Fowl Plains said.