Washington plane crash victims: beloved biology teacher, hunting buddies and flight crews were among those killed
Students pay tribute to a beloved biology teacher and whole families who died together are being mourned after being named as victims in the American Airlines disaster. See the full list.
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A young biology teacher who lived for her students and had risen through the ranks to head up a national education association has been named among the victims of the Washington DC plane crash.
The National Association of Biology Teachers board of directors paid tribute to their President-elect Lindsey Carter Fields who perished in the American Airlines disaster.
“The NABT is devastated to report that NABT President-Elect Lindsey (Carter) Fields was aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter,” a statement from the group reads.
“Lindsey was travelling to represent the NABT community and advocate for excellence in life science education.
“This is a tremendous loss. Please keep Lindsey, the other victims, and their families in your hearts.”
Ms Fields was a favourite among students at Butler Community College in Kansas.
Her biography on the college website states she enjoyed cooking, fishing, travelling to the mountains and spending time with her Great Danes.
“Lindsey was a colleague, friend, and educator who dedicated her wisdom and talents to changing students’ lives every day,” reads a statement from butler Community College.
“We owe her much gratitude for sharing her light with us and we will forever feel this loss. We send much love and support to her family and friends during this most difficult time.”
World-class figure skaters, hunting buddies and flight crews were among the 67 people killed in the Washington DC air disaster.
Many of those on board the flight had been flying home from the US Figure Skating’s National Development camp, which was held after last week’s national championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Among the passengers on the American Airlines flight were 14 members of the US Figure Skating team, their coaches and family.
The youngest victims of the disaster were Angela Yang and Sean Kay, who died alongside their coach, Alexandr Kirsanov.
Ms Kirsanov’s wife, Natalia Gudin, shared her heartbreak: “We always use American Airlines when we go to competition. This time, they went without me — and now they’re all gone.”
“This young team — Sean Kay and Angela Yang — was incredible,” she continued. “The judges were so proud of them, and they had such a bright future. To lose them all on the same plane … it’s a triple loss for me.”
Just hours before the doomed flight, Ms Yang wrote on Instagram about her time in Wichita.
“Had so-so much fun at camp!!! I’m really gonna miss my friends and all the great coaches! I can’t wait for next year!,” she posted, alongside several photos.
“It was a lot of fun watching all the skaters at Kansas! I had a lot of fun sitting with my friends watching amazing skaters! I wish I could watch it all over again!”
A family of four also perished in the tragedy.
Donna Livingston and her husband, Peter, along with their daughters — 11-year-old Everly and 14-year-old Alydia, who had competed in a national figure skating championship in Wichita — were all killed.
The Skating Club of Boston said six people with ties to its club were also among the victims, including skaters Jinna Han and her mother Jin Han, Spencer Lane and his mother Christine, as well as Russian coaches Yevgeniya Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55.
Cory Haynos, a teenage skater from Virginia, and his parents Stephanie and Roger were also aboard the flight. The four-person crew on American flight 5342 also perished.
More than 40 bodies have been removed from the Potomac River as of Friday morning AEST, sources told CNN.
“US Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, DC,” US Figure Skating said in a statement.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
The International Skating Union said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”
Figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan broke down in tears over the talented local skaters whose lives were lost.
“We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we’re strong,” Kerrigan said through tears during a news conference at the Skating Club of Boston.
“I guess it’s how we respond to it and my response is to be with people I care about.”
The bodies of all three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter have been recovered and sent to Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Here is what we know about the victims:
OLIVIA TER, 12
The accomplished 12-year-old ice skater was a member of the Tucker Road Ice Rink in Fort Washington, Maryland.
She was one of four young skaters from her region to qualify for the elite camp.
“The impact of Olivia’s life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed,” Bill Tyler of Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County, Maryland told America’s ABC News.
EDWARD ZHOU, 16, AND HIS PARENTS KAIYAN AND JOE
Edward Zhou, 16, and his parents Kaiyan and Joe died together in the crash.
The family from Fairfax, Virginia were passionate about the sport.
Edward was a tenacious young skater who “always smiled and laughed every time he fell,” the skating podcast The Skating Lesson said.
FRANCO APARICIO AND HIS DAD LUCIANO
Franco Aparicio’s dad Luciano proudly accompanied him as he earned a coveted spot at the ice skating camp for the second year running.
According to the New York Post, Franco was remembered as a “very quiet, hardworking skater whose face would light up with the warmest smile.”
VIKESH PATEL
Vikesh Patel was a Maintenance, Repair and Operations Transformation Leader with GE Aerospace.
“This is a tragedy not only for our industry but also for the GE Aerospace team as one of our cherished colleagues was on-board the flight,” CEO Larry Culp said in a statement.
“Our hearts are with his family and all those impacted by this horrific accident.”
EVGENIA SHISHKOVA, 53, AND VADIM NAUMOV, 56
Former Russian world pairs champions and married couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on the tragic flight.
Shishkova, 53, and Naumov, 56, were returning to DC on Flight 5342 after attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
Shishkova and Naumov were born in Leningrad and competed in pairs skating for the USSR and Russia national teams, winning the World Championship in 1994.
They moved to the US in 1998 where they worked as figure skating coaches.
Ludmila Velikova trained Shishkova and Naumov when they were children.
“They were my favourite sports people. They were part of my first attempt at the world championships and became champions in 1994. They were talented and beautiful people,” Velikova said.
Their son, Maxim Naumov, 23, is a prominent Team USA skater, and did not fly with them.
Maxim reportedly left Kansas with US figure skater Anton Spiridonov on Monday, with Spiridonov saying they went through security together.
Shishkova and Naumov’s last words to their son was to tell him they were “proud” of him after he came fourth in the competition just days before the crash.
“We are proud of you, Maxim,” the couple posted on social media, according to a St Petersburg newspaper.
“He climbed to the podium at the Nationals after seventh place in the short program. This beautiful and emotional performance is the result of teamwork. Maxim has earned his place in the team of champions of four continents.”
SPENCER LANE, 16, AND HIS MOTHER CHRISTINE LANE
A teenage rising star in US figure skating circles was among the victims. Spencer Lane, 16, and his mother, Christine, both died on the passenger jet.
The teenager posted 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.
Lane belonged to the Skating Club of Boston. Club CEO Doug Zeghibe said Lane was “incredibly talented” and “rocketing to the top of the sport”.
Lane and his mother lived in Barrington, Rhode Island. The superintendent of schools said he left Barrington High School in 2023 “to pursue a promising career in figure skating”.
“Our entire Barrington community mourns with the Lane family, the Skating Club of Boston, and all who knew and loved Christine and Spencer Lane. Spencer was a talented and driven young athlete with a bright future, and this is an unimaginable loss,” Superintendent Robert Wargo said in a statement.
JINNA HAN, 13, AND HER MOTHER JIN HAN
Talented teen Jinna Han was also on board the flight with her mother, Jin.
“Jinna, just a wonderful kid. Wonderful parents. Great competitor. Loved by all,” Mr Zeghibe said of the 13-year-old from Massachusetts.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to forget them. That is for certain. How we commemorate them here we haven’t gotten to that point to discuss, but we certainly will. Just definitely very important and well loved members of our community.”
INNA VOLYANSKAYA
Skating coach Inna Volyanskaya was a former skater who competed for the pre-1991 Soviet Union, Russian state media said.
More recently, she was a coach at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia, the club’s general manager Rob Lorenzen told NBC Washington.
“Inna also had a lot of success internationally achieving gold, silver, and bronze medals in various international competitions,” the club’s website says.
CAPTAIN JONATHAN CAMPOS
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2015.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University issued the following statement: “Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Captain Jonathan Campos (Aeronautical Science,’15). Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident.”
IAN EPSTEIN
Ian Epstein was one of two flight attendants on board the American Airlines plane, his relatives said.
“It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children Hannah Epstein and Joanna Epstein and his sister Robbie Epstein Bloom her husband Steven Bloom and nieces Andi and Dani 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, 58, wrote on Facebook.
“Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC. We will update when plans are made.”
SAM LILLEY, 28
Relatives say one of the American Airlines pilots was Sam Lilley, a 28-year-old First Officer who was engaged to be married. He was also months away from being promoted in his career of flying that he loved.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” his father, Tim Lilley, said in a Facebook tribute.
Mr Lilley revealed he is also a former US Army Black Hawk pilot and had flown in the exact same area where the disaster happened.
“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.”
“Samuel was in the prime of his life. He was engaged to a beautiful, wonderful girl and we were all excited about her joining the family,” he said.
“I saw the crash on the news. I didn’t think there was any way it was my son,” he said.
“But then I watched long enough to figure out it was my son’s airline and then I kind of know his schedule.”
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” he told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Campos was born in New York and grew up in Florida. He attended the Epic Flight Academy where he was certified as a flight instructor in 2017.
He became a commercial airline pilot one year later, according to the company records.
LORI AND ROBERT SCHROCK
Husband and wife Lori Schrock, 56, and Robert “Bob” Schrock, 58, were heading from Wichita to Washington to see their daughter.
The pair are being remembered for their outpouring of generosity and always leaning on their faith while lending a hand to seemingly everyone in their community in Kiowa and beyond.
“Biggest heartbreak that we’ve been both praying about is their daughter because I can’t imagine how lonely that is going to feel,” longtime family friend Michael Simpson said.
WENDY SHAFFER
Wendy Shaffer was the mother of two young children who was described as “always smiling” by her friend and FOX News correspondent Bill Melugin.
“It is with great regret that I can confirm a friend of mine, Wendy Shaffer, lost her life in the AA plane crash last night. Wendy was an amazing mom of two children, ages 3 and 1,” Melugin tweeted.
Her husband, Nate, added that she “was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through.”
THE LIVINGSTON FAMILY
Donna Livingston and her husband, Peter, along with their two daughters, Everly, 11, and Alydia, 14, were named as victims of the horrific collision.
The girls were part of the Washington Figure Skating Club. In a final Instagram post, the sisters posed in front of the ice at the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
CASEY CRAFTON
Casey Crafton was a father of three who coached youth soccer.
“Casey Crafton — husband of Rachel and father to their three sons — was among the passengers on the American Airlines flight from Kansas that went down in the Potomac River,” Connecticut state Senator Martha Marx said.
“My heart goes out to the Crafton-Gadbois family after the tragic loss of Casey Crafton in yesterday’s plane crash.
“Salem has lost a dedicated father, husband, and community member. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”
KIAH DUGGINS
Kiah Duggins, a former Miss Kansas contestant and attorney, was named as a victim in the crash.
She was flying into DC as she was “preparing to be a law professor at Howard University in the fall,” her former pageant director, Larry Strong, said in a post to Facebook.
“It is with heavy heart that the Miss Augusta and Miss Butler County organisation just learned that Kiah Duggins Miss Butler County 2014 [and] 2015 was a passenger in the plane that crashed last evening in Washington DC,” he wrote. “Keep the rest of the family in your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”
“Kiah was top 10 finalist in 2014 and 2015 at the Miss Kansas Pageant.”
MICHAEL STOVALL AND JESSE PITCHER
The pair had been returning home from a duck hunting trip with a group of friends in Kansas when the plane plunged into the Potomac River.
Photos posted by Mr Stovall on Facebook show he left behind a wife and son.
Mr Stovall’s co-worker, Jesse Pitcher, 30, joined him for the hunting trip and was also on the flight.
“He was just getting started with life,” his father, Jameson Pitcher, told The New York Times.
ANGELA YANG AND SEAN KAY
Ice skating partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay, the youngest victims of the crash, were killed alongside their coach Alexandr Kirsanov.
Ms Yang shared several pictures from her time in Wichita just hours before the doomed flight.
“Had so so much fun at camp!!! I’m really gonna miss my friends and all the great coaches! I can’t wait for next year!,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside several photos.
“It was a lot of fun watching all the skaters at Kansas! I had a lot of fun sitting with my friends watching amazing skaters! I wish I could watch it all over again!.”
JUSTYNA BEYER AND DAUGHTER BRIELLE BEYER
Figure skater Brielle Beyer, 12, was travelling back from Wichita, Kansas with her mother, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, when the tragic accident happened.
“We’re heartbroken,” Justyna’s sister, Mariola Witkowska, said. “We’re just in shock.”
Brielle had been skating “her whole life,” and her mother shared her passion.
“Brielle and ice skating was pretty much her life,” Ms Witkowska said of her sister.
ANDREW EAVES
Mississippi man Andrew Eaves was among the military Black Hawk pilots who died in the crash. His wife, Carrie Eaves, also confirmed his passing on her social media page.
“I am sure by now all of you have heard the news of the tragedy that has occurred in DC,” she wrote on a Facebook post alongside a picture of their family.
“My husband was one of the pilots in the Blackhawk. We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve.
“Please refrain for negative comments on social media as these families children do not need to suffer more pain.
ELIZABETH ANN KEYS AND SARAH LEE BEST
Elizabeth Anne Keys, 33, and colleague Sarah Lee Best worked at Wilkinson Stekloff, a law firm with offices in DC, at the time of their death.
Keys interned for Judge Michael R. Barrett of the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and was a law clerk for Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
“She loved deeply and was deeply loved,” her family said in a statement to WCPO. “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.
“Liz was a dear friend to so many, offering her best self to them all. Her hugs were wonderful!.”
Wilkinson Stekloff founder Beth Wilkinson issued a statement on behalf of the company.
“We are heartbroken by this terrible tragedy. Liz and Sarah were cherished members of our firm — wonderful attorneys, colleagues, and friends,” she said.
“Beyond being an excellent lawyer, Liz brought fearlessness, humour, and sharp wit to work every day, no matter the setting or circumstances.
“Sarah joined us just last fall and quickly energised us all with her boundless curiosity, kindness, and intelligence. It is hard to imagine the firm without them. We are keeping them in our memories and their families in our thoughts and prayers.”
GRACE MAXWELL
Grace Maxwell was on her way back to college when the American Airlines jet collided with the helicopter.
The 20-year-old, who was studying biomedical engineering at Cedarville University in Ohio, was returning home to Wichita to attend her grandfather’s funeral.
DANASIA ELDER
Danasia Elder was one of the American Airlines flight attendants on-board the doomed flight.
She is survived by her husband and two children, Kayden and Dallas.
Elder’s brother-in-law, Brandon Payne, described her as “full of life,” highlighting her love for God, her kids, and travel.
“She was a great wife, a great parent, a great friend,” Payne said.
“She was very bright, very smart. She was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.”
RYAN O’HARA
One of the soldiers performing a training flight on the ill-fated Black Hawk helicopter was Ryan O’Hara, a Georgia-bred father of a baby boy and graduate of Parkview High School near Atlanta, according to wsbtv.com.
“Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team. Ryan leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son,” the Parkview High School JROTC wrote in a statement.
O’Hara graduated from the high school in 2014 before going on to become an Army reserve officer.
ASRA HUSSEIN
Asra Hussein was the young woman who sent her husband a haunting final text shortly before dying in the Washington DC plane crash.
“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes,” he told the outlet, showing them the messages on his phone. Mr Raza said he realised something was wrong when his replying messages didn’t “get delivered.”
“That’s when I realised something was up,” he said, pointing down at the undelivered messages on his phone’s screen.”
Tragically it was the last text Ms Hussein, 26, would ever send.
POLICE COLONEL PERGENTINO N. MALABED
The Filipino police officer was among the people killed in a mid-air crash in Washington between a US commercial jet and a military helicopter, Philippine police said Friday.
“The Philippine National Police mourns the tragic loss of Police Colonel Pergentino N. Malabed, Chief of the Supply Management Division, who was among those on board the American Airlines flight that collided mid-air with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport,” an official statement said.
Manila was notified that a body carrying Colonel Malabed’s passport was recovered from the Potomac, police spokesman Colonel Randulf Tuano told reporters.
Colonel Malabed’s widow is set to fly to the United States to formally identify and claim the remains, Tuano added. Colonel Malabed and two other officers had flown to the United States to test personnel vests that the Philippine police planned to purchase.
He then headed onwards alone intending “to pay a courtesy call” to the police attache of the Philippine embassy in Washington.
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