The only American killed in an emergency landing of a Russian passenger jet on Sunday was on his way to begin his dream job as a fly-fishing guide in northwest Russia.
Jeremy Brooks, 22, graduated from Colorado College in 2018 with a degree in environmental studies. The New Mexico native was one of 41 people killed when the Aeroflot flight went up in flames upon landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
The plane was struck by lightning shortly after it took off.
Brooks had just arrived in Russia to begin a job as a fishing guide for the summer, according to KOB 4.
He previously worked as a fishing guide at The Reel Life fishing shop in Santa Fe, N.M. In a blog post, Brooks said he learned to fly fish on his seventh birthday.
“I’m not great at explaining my love for fishing, but it’s a love that has meant everything to me for the majority of my life,” he wrote in 2016.
