LI Mom Lost In Plane Crash Adored Daughter: 'She Was Her Miracle Baby'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The Long Island community remains devastated by the death of a woman in a Virginia plane crash Sunday, who they say fiercely loved her daughter.

Adina Azarian, 49, and her 2-year-old daughter Aria, as well as their live-in nanny and their pilot, died aboard a private Cessna. The plane sparked a response from fighter jets as it passed through restricted Washington D.C. airspace, causing a sonic boom heard by scores. Azarian and her daughter were headed to their home in East Hampton.

In an interview with Patch, Tara Brivic-Looper shared her heartbreak: "I adored Adina. We were New York girls at Dwight and then she moved to East Hampton," she said.

Brivic-Looper said she works for the Soloviev Group, which does work in the Hamptons and on the North Fork. "Adina loved the Hamptons," she said. "It was her home, and that she passed with her princess on there way back home is so fitting. They are together forever."

Remembering their friendship, dotted with precious memories such as dressing in matching mother-daughter outfits — Brivic-Looper also has a little girl — she said: "We laughed so hard at these moments, that we became these people. Who are we? Matching outfits with our little girls. We were cool New York City Hamptons girls and now we would send each other matching fun style."

Motherhood was everything to Azarian, Brivic-Looper said. "Aria was her life. She really was her miracle baby."

She added that the pair went from New York City girls, dating and studying, to pursuing careers in business — Azarian was well-known and successful in the real estate world.

Then, she said, both yearned for motherhood.

"She wanted her baby and to give birth. I knew from a very young age I always wanted to adopt so we both supported each other," Brivic-Looper said. "We watched our friends having kids graduating from high school, but we would laugh that we are looking at preschools. We both had tons of energy, and she was just such a beautiful friend inside and out. I will miss her so dearly."

The Hamptons meant everything to her friend, Brivic-Loopers said.

"Adina loved the Hamptons, it was her home and where she was raising Aria." It is fitting, she said, that Azarian's memory should be celebrated "in the place she loved most."

On Monday, Kelly Kreth, publicist for Keller Williams NYC, issued a statement about their colleague and friend.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm the tragic loss of our beloved agent Adina Azarian, and her daughter, Aria," the statement said. "Adina was an iconic real estate agent in New York City and Long Island. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Adina during this incredibly difficult time."

Kreth also asked for privacy and respect for the family's wishes as they grieved the loss of their loved ones.

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have expressed their condolences and offered support during this time of mourning," she said.

A message to Keller Williams Associates said that all were "devastated by this profound loss."

Azarian, that message said, "was an exceptional member of our Keller Williams Points North team, as well as the original Team Leader of Keller Williams NYC, known for her dedication, professionalism, and warm spirit. Her vibrant personality and unwavering commitment to her clients set her apart in the real estate industry. Adina's passion for her work and her genuine care for others touched the lives of many, making her an invaluable asset to our team at Keller Williams Points North. She will be sorely missed."

The KW leadership team added: "May the memories of Adina and Aria bring comfort to their family and friends, and may their spirits live on in our hearts forever."

Friends also mourned their unthinkable loss on social media. Lakhinder Jit Singh Vohra wrote: "I just lost my best friend in the Hamptons."

Azarian, he said, helped him launch his company, Hamptons Cigar Manufactory and was a friend for years. "I can't believe she is gone. She will be so dearly missed."

Speaking with Patch, Vohra said in the nine years the two had known one another, their friendship was colored by fun, fantastic adventures, and so much laughter. He'd "camp out" at her Hamptons home when he was visiting from New York City, where he lived when he met her, to attend an event for his company Party Digest.

"She was the most amazing woman I ever met," he said.

The pair met at the "Taste of Two Forks" event and the fledgling friendship was forged over a Bridgehampton breakfast the next day.

Azarian, he said, was infinitely generous and kind; they shared hilarious outings and quiet picnics. Although he now lives in Florida, the pair kept in touch; he just reached out to her last week about a party he thought she should attend.

Vohra told Patch he believed John and Barbara Rumpel, who were as close as family to Azarian, loved her like their daughter, having lost a daughter years before. He also said his friend wanted to be a mother so badly that she pursued IVF to see that dream realized.

He mentioned that Azarian's family included her biological mom and sister, who were also rocked by loss.

Her baby was his friend's most precious dream. "She wanted a baby so much," he said.

Although he hadn't seen Azarian since her daughter was born — "I was her party friend," he said — he'd long imagine the photo they'd take when he met the child for the first time. "I wanted a photo of her, and me, holding the baby," he said. "I guess that will never happen."

While she was a highly accomplished professional and a fixture on the Hamptons scene, what connected the two was a bond far deeper.

"She was very welcoming," he said. "She really understood me. She knew so much about me; she was so observant and saw things I don't really don't think everyone else caught on to."

His voice laced with sorrow, he added: "I was so glad she was in my life."

Azarian, he said, set the bar high. "She made me feel like I was really special," he said. "She was a great friend."

Even when the pair argued, Vohra said Azarian would soon text him and say: "Hey, man, let's bury the hatchet. At our age, it's very hard to make new friends."

Kate Mueth of East Hampton wrote, that although they were Facebook friends, it was clear to see what filled Azarian's heart. "Through that interaction with her, I saw what an incredibly committed and devoted mother she was to Aria. I really admired her joy and her commitment to being that beautiful baby’s mother. That really shone through in her posts. It’s just a devastating, harrowing event of a tragedy."

The Washington Post reported that the plane that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, a Florida-based company. John Rumpel said his “entire family” was on board, including his daughter, his 2-year-old granddaughter, her nanny, and the pilot.

Evadnie Smith was the live-in nanny for Azarian who died in the crash, according to reports. Originally from Jamaica, Smith helped care for Aria at her mother’s East Hamptons, New York, home, according to the US Sun.

Rumpel told the Post he adopted Azarian at age 40, years after losing his first daughter, Victoria, in a scuba diving accident when she was 19-years-old.

There were no survivors, an AP report said, according to 9WAFB.

Rumpel told The New York Times his daughter and grandchild were returning to their home in East Hampton after visiting his North Carolina home.

The New York Post reported that the plane " reached the New York area before making a nearly 180-degree turn and flying towards Virginia, according to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware."

Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiraling descent, dropping at one point at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing in the St. Mary's Wilderness.

On Monday, it took investigators several hours to hike into the rural area where the plane crashed about 60 miles southwest of Charlottesville. They expect to be on the scene for at least three to four days.

At a briefing Monday, NTSB investigator Adam Gerhardt said the wreckage is "highly fragmented," and investigators will examine the most delicate evidence at the site, after which the wreckage will be moved to Delaware, where it can be further examined. It was not clear if the plane had a flight data recorder. A preliminary report will be released in 10 days.

According to the Daily Mail, Barbara Rumpel, John's wife, posted on Facebook about the tragic loss. "'My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter,' Rumpel wrote in a Facebook comment," the Daily Mail reported.

According to a statement released on Twitter by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, "in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft responded to an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation V aircraft over Washington, DC, and northern Virginia on June 4, 2023. The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region."

The NORAD statement also said that flares, which may have been visible to the public, were used to get the attention of the pilot. "Flares are used with the highest regard for safety of the intercepted aircraft and people on the ground," the statement said, adding that the flares burn out quickly and there is no danger to those on the ground.

According to NORAD, the civilian aircraft was intercepted at about 3:20 p.m.; the pilot was unresponsive and the Cessna "subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Airport," in Virginia, NORAD said. NORAD tried to establish contact with the plane until it crashed, the statement said.

NORAD, in a message to Patch, also said that six F-16s in total were deployed. Two from the 113th fighter wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, two from the 177th fighter wing, Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey, and two from the 169th fighter wing, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. All six aircraft were deployed simultaneously; the aircraft from the 113th Fighter Wing arrived to the Cessna first and started intercept protocols, NORAD said.

The FAA, on Twitter, wrote that a Cessna Citation crashed into mountainous terrain near Montebello, VA around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. "The aircraft took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, TN and was bound for @LIMacArthur" airport, the FAA said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, the FAA said.

The New York Post and other outlets said that the plane was not shot down by a military jet.