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JOHN D. YAMNICKY SR., 71, of Waldorf, Md., was a retired naval aviator, but worked as a defense contractor for Veridian Corp. since his retirement as captain in 1979. His son, John Yamnicky, said his father worked on the development of the F/A-18 fighter jet. John Yamnicky Sr., was on a business trip on American Flight 77. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952, he became a Navy test pilot, flying an A-4 attack plane and would sometimes tell stories of his travels and Navy service in Korea and Vietnam. "He crash-landed five times and walked away from them each," said Cindy Sharpley, a friend of the family. "But not this last one."

Copyright © 2001 The Associated Press