Skating sisters and mum-of-two among victims of doomed American Airlines Flight 5342
Young skating sisters and a “truly amazing” mum of two have been identified as one of 60 passengers killed in the horror collision.
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Two young ice skating sisters, Olympians, and a mother-of-two were among those killed when a doomed American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided mid-air over Washington DC.
There are thought to be no survivors after the horror crash on Wednesday between American Airlines Flight 5342 and the US Army Blackhawk (H-60).
The incident marks the deadliest US aviation disaster in decades, with an expected death toll of 67 people.
More than 40 bodies have so far been removed from the Potomac River.
Of the 64 people on board the flight, which was operated by PSA Airlines for American Eagle, 60 were passengers and four were crew, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video message on Wednesday.
The rescue effort has turned to a recovery effort – DC Fire Chief John Donnelly told a press conference on Thursday morning local time that officials will “continue to work to find all bodies, to reunite them with their loved ones.”
“We don’t believe there are any survivors,” he said.
Here is what we know about the victims.
Young members of the US ice skating community
Over a dozen ice skaters were returning home from the US Figure Skating Championships when the American Airlines plane and helicopter collided.
The national development camp was conducted in Wichita following last week’s US Figure Skating Championships there.
“To the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home … were lost in the plane crash,” said Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston.
Mr Zeghibe said six of the victims were from the Skating Club of Boston, including skaters Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16, their mothers Jin Han and Christine Lane and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Speaking at a news conference at the club on Thursday, figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan said she has “never seen anyone love skating” as much as Han and Lane.
“That’s why I think it hurts so much.”
Lane, a rising star in the skating community, snapped a photo of the plane’s right wing moments before takeoff.
The post read, “ICT [to] DCA,” showing the airport codes for Wichita Eisenhower and Reagan National.
Ice skating sisters, Everly, 11, and Alydia, 14, and their parents Donna and Peter Livingston, from Virginia, were also killed in the crash.
The girls were part of the Washington Figure Skating Club and were pictured smiling at the US Figure Skating Championships in their final Instagram post last week.
“We were born ready for this but is @usfigureskating ready for this much Livingston at Nationals?” the post read.
Former Russian world pairs champions
Russian figure skating coaches and Olympians Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also killed in the collision.
The married couple won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994.
They share a 15-year-old son who was not on the flight.
“They were always welcoming and happy to see one another,” figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan said at a news conference at the Skating Club of Boston on Thursday, while wiping a tear.
“To walk in here and not see that I think would be very strange for everybody that comes here. It’s going to be hard.”
Former Disney on Ice skater Inna Volyanskaya
Skating coach Inna Volyanskaya was also on-board the plane.
The 59-year-old competed for the Soviet Union and was a principal skater for ‘Disney on Ice’, according to her coaching profile on Ashburn Ice House’s website.
“She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate,” Volyanskaya’s ex-husband, Ross Lansel, told News4.
‘Always smiling’ mum of two Wendy Shaffer
Mum-of-two Wendy Shaffer has been identified by her husband as one of the 60 American Airlines passengers killed in the crash.
“I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth,” Nate Shaffer said in a statement announcing his wife’s death.
“Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through. She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for.
“Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met. We will miss you more than words can express, Wendy Jo. I love you endlessly! Rest in peace, my love.”
“Wendy was an incredible wife to my friend Nate, and an amazing mum of two children, ages 3 and 1 …(She was) always smiling, such a sweetheart. Heartbroken for Nate,” her friend and FOX News correspondent, Bill Melugin, wrote on X.
“We go from joking in our fantasy football group chat to this horrible news.”
Asra Hussain, who sent a haunting final text moments before crash
Asra Hussain, a 26-year-old Indiana University graduate, sent her husband a final haunting text just moments before the fatal crash.
“We are landing in 20 minutes,” she wrote to Hamaad Raza.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now. That’s all I can pray for,” Mr Raza told WUSA from near Reagan National Airport.
Mr Raza said he realised something was wrong when the messages he’d sent in response didn’t “get delivered”.
Student Grace Maxwell
Grace Maxwell was returning to university after visiting her home in Wichita when the American Airlines plane crashed.
The 20-year-old was majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in biomedical engineering at Cedarville University in Ohio, KNS reports.
“This is heartbreaking news for her family and for our campus community,” the university said in a statement.
Elizabeth Anne Keys
Cincinnati woman Elizabeth Anne Keys was also on-board the plane, her family have confirmed.
The 33-year-old worked at law firm Wilkinson Stekloff in Washington, D.C and has been rembered as a “strong and fearless” woman.
“Liz was a warm, generous woman. She was so fun – and funny! Liz had a sharp wit and appreciated it in others. Gatherings were always better when Liz was there; she was filled with light and joy,” her family wrote in a statement, according to Fox19.
“Liz was a dear friend to so many, offering her best self to them all. Her hugs were wonderful!”
American Airlines pilots and crew
The four crew members of the American Airlines flight who perished in the crash have been identified.
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28, died along with flight attendants Ian Epstein, 52, and Danasia Elder.
Mr Campos was born in New York but grew up in Florida. He became a commercial airline pilot in 2018.
His uncle, Hector Campos, told The Daily Mail his nephew lived for aviation.
“He loved it,” he said. “We just confirmed the news. We are in complete shock.”
Mr Lilley, whose family is from Savannah, Georgia, reportedly leaves behind a fiancee.
His father, Timothy Lilley, confirmed his son had perished in the Potomac on the doomed plane.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Mr Lilley, a long-time military pilot himself, told Fox5 Atlanta.
He said the most likely cause of the crash was the helicopter, which appears to be the prevailing theory.
“In the ’90s, I used to fly in and out of the Pentagon regularly, and I can tell you if you are flying on the route over the Potomac and wearing night vision goggles, it’s going to be very hard to see that plane,” he said.
“If you’re not wearing the goggles, then you might have a chance.”
Mr Epstein was one of two flight attendants on board the plane, his relatives said.
Mr Epstein worked for American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines, according to his Facebook page.
“It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children … inform you that Ian Epstein was one of the flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided last night when they were landing in DC,” his wife, Debi Epstein, wrote on the social media platform.
“Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC.”
Two Black Hawk pilots
Two of three Army soldiers killed while flying the Black Hawk helicopter has been identified.
A Georgia Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) identified Ryan O’Hara, who graduated from high school in Atlanta in 2014, as one of the victims in a social media tribute.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our own,” the Parkview High School Marine Corps JROTC said on Facebook.
“Former cadet Ryan O’Hara was the Crew Chief on the Black Hawk involved in last night’s crash in DC. Our deepest condolences go out to Gary O’Hara and his entire family.”
Mississippi man Andrew Eaves has also been named by numerous local media outlets as another of the three victims on board the Black Hawk.
Mr Eaves’s wife, Carrie Eaves, shared the news on Facebook.
“We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today,” she wrote.
Crash was ‘absolutely preventable’
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy weighed in on the crash on Thursday night US time.
“To back up what the President said, from what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Mr Duffy told reporters.
Mr Duffy said it was “not a breakdown” in communication between the helicopter pilots and the American Airlines flight.
“It was, I would say, standard communication, so there was not a breakdown, if that’s your question, in communication between the military helicopter and the American Airlines flight,” he said.
“There was communication between the aircraft and the tower. I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area.”
Mr Duffy said both aircraft were on a “standard flight pattern”.
“This was a clear night last night – the helicopter was in the standard pattern,” he said.
“If you live in the DC area, you will see helicopters up and down the river. The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA.”
– with The New York Post
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