American Airlines Flight 587 had just left JFK airport on its way to the capital, Santa Domingo, when it crashed in a New York suburb.
There were no survivors.
Tragic end to dream trip
Roberto Despradel, 41, from New York, and his two sons, Lorenzo, 4 and Roberto, 1 were on the plane.
It was meant to be the boys' first trip to meet their grandparents. Their mother had stayed at home with their sister so she didn't miss any school.
There are about 400,000 people of Dominican background in New York City. Many of them often make the three-and-a-half hour trip to the Republic to visit their relatives.
Only two weeks ago there was a memorial mass for the 41 Dominicans lost in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
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