A look at some of those killed in the Buffalo plane crash

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Alison Des Forges

Des Forges, of Buffalo, was senior adviser for Human Rights Watch’s Africa division. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on the genocide in Rwanda, Des Forges testified at 11 trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as an expert witness. She was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1999.

Beverly Eckert

Eckert, of Stamford, Conn., was a Sept. 11 widow who became one of the most visible, tearful faces in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

Eckert was heading to Buffalo, her hometown, for a celebration of what would have been her husband’s 58th birthday, said Mary Fetchet, a 9/11 family activist.

Last week, she was at the White House with President Barack Obama as part of a meeting with relatives of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the bombing of the USS Cole to discuss how the new administration would handle terrorism suspects.

Madeline Loftus

Maddy Loftus, 24, of Parsippany, N.J., was headed to Buffalo for a reunion of the Buffalo State women’s ice hockey team she played for in 2002 and 2003, said Jeff Ventura, the school’s sports information director.

Loftus “was one the greatest people who ever came out of Buffalo State hockey,” said her former teammate, Carolyn Totaro.

Coleman Mellett

An accomplished jazz guitarist, Mellett was a touring member of trumpeter Chuck Mangione’s band for the last several years. The group was scheduled to perform Friday night at the Kleinhans Music Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Gerry Niewood

Gerry Niewood was a childhood friend of trumpeter Chuck Mangione and had been making music with him since the two were children. He lived in Glen Ridge, N.J., and played saxophone, clarinet and flute for some of the biggest names in pop music, according to his MySpace profile.

Rebecca Shaw

Shaw, the flight’s first officer, had a passion for aviation and decided in her senior year in high school that she wanted to fly. Shaw, 24, of Maple Valley, Wash., in the Seattle suburbs, joined the commuter airline in January 2008 and had flown 2,244 hours with the carrier.