Yahoo Lifestyle Dad Remembers How Daughter Killed in D.C. Plane Crash Adored Traveling and Taylor Swift: 'Lit Up Every Room' (Exclusive)
Melissa Nicandri, 28, was a big Swiftie and someone who was "a great friend to a lot of people," her father said in an emotional interview
Melissa Nicandri, one of the victims of the Washington, D.C., plane crash, was "everything you would ever want in a daughter," according to her dad, Peter Nicandri.
She was an "extensive" traveler, a longtime Swiftie who saw Taylor Swift live on tour "for as long as I can remember" and someone who "cared deeply for her friends and family," Peter says.
On the night of Wednesday, Jan. 29, Melissa died at the age of 28 when the American Airlines regional passenger plane she was traveling in was struck midair by a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
At the time, she was traveling back to New York City from a Kansas work trip and connecting through D.C. Melissa, who worked for a financial services company and was living in Brooklyn with her boyfriend, was one of 60 passengers and four crew members onboard the flight who died in what has since marked the deadliest airplane incident in the U.S. since 2001. The tragic collision had no survivors.
On Saturday, Feb. 1, Melissa's father Peter, 60, spoke with PEOPLE through tears as he recounted memories of his daughter, whom he described as "beautiful, smart, generous, kind and funny."
"She was a great friend to a lot of people," says Peter, a lawyer who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. "She connected a lot of different friend groups."
Related: Father Whose Family Perished in D.C. Plane Crash Built Backyard Ice Rink For Daughters (Exclusive)
Courtesy of family
Melissa earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and later received her master's in international economics and finance from Johns Hopkins University, her dad says. After living in D.C. for a few years, Melissa moved to Brooklyn Heights and was "loving it," Peter adds.
As a big music fan, Melissa had "seen Taylor Swift concert tours dating back since Taylor Swift was touring."
"She saw a couple of the Eras Tour shows in different places, but she's been seeing Taylor Swift for as long as I can remember," he recalls.
Peter tells PEOPLE that Melissa was also was a fan of Harry Potter, having grown up enjoying both the books and films, and loved visiting Disney World and traveling around the world. During her 28 years, Melissa visited England, France, Italy, Greece. Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, South America, and even spent a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain.
"She loved to travel. She traveled extensively," Peter says. "Fortunate enough to be able to do that. Went to a ton of countries, countries I've never been to or even really considered going. But yeah, all over the world."
Melissa was also a big sister, and her dad says she "loved deeply."
"She had an adventurous spirit about her, and we're going to miss her greatly," he adds.
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In a separate message to PEOPLE, Melissa's boyfriend, Ben Shtuhl, wrote that she loved living in Brooklyn with him, was known to take a daily walk on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade — which she called the "prommy" — and spent her time exploring the food of New York, attending Broadway plays and hanging with a "close-knit group of friends" from Vanderbilt.
Courtesy of family
Melissa Nicandri and Ben ShtuhlAmong her other interests, she was an avid concert-goer who saw LCD Soundsystem and Sabrina Carpenter perform recently. Shtuhi said she also was "exceptional at trivia" and liked to watch horror films at Alamo Drafthouse. She was a member of a weekly book club and took part in a few other activities including pickleball and yoga.
"She has friends from literally every phase of life and had a gift for connecting them, and seemed to be everyone’s go-to person when something was wrong or they needed to talk," Shtuhl says, adding that Melissa's friends flew to New York and have been staying together in Brooklyn following the devastating news.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams previously confirmed that Melissa was one of the 67 victims in the D.C. crash, as her mother, Stacie Nicandri, told Gothamist that she was an "amazing woman."
"She was a truly special person," Shtuhl adds. "All her friends are heartbroken."
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