Howard Law Professor Kiah Duggins Among Victims of Tragic DC Plane Crash

A Howard University law professor and former Kansas beauty queen was among the passengers aboard a plane that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport, university officials confirmed.

Professor Kiah Duggins, a civil rights attorney and newly appointed faculty member at Howard’s law school, was among the 64 passengers on the aircraft Wednesday evening, according to CBS News. The incident also involved a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers.

“It is with profound sadness that the Howard University community and the Howard University School of Law have learned of the passing of Professor Kiah Duggins,” university President Ben Vison said in a statement Friday.

Duggins, a Harvard Law graduate, had worked with the Civil Rights Corps, a nonprofit legal advocacy group. She also had deep ties to Kansas, where she earned her undergraduate degree from Wichita State University and was a two-time finalist in the Miss Kansas pageant.

We at Watch The Yard ask that you keep Professor Duggin’s family, friends, and community in your thoughts and prayers.