D.C. Plane Crash: American Olympic Figure Skating Hopefuls As Young As 11, Parents and Coaches Identified
After the deadly collision which took place over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. between an American Airlines passenger craft and a Black Hawk military helicopter, all victims have been identified.
Per reports, all 67 people aboard an American Eagle flight and Army chopper UH-60 were killed in the tragic collision Wednesday, January 29 around 9 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The passenger jet AA5342 — carrying elite U.S Figure skaters, coaches, and their families — crashing into a Black Hawk chopper marks the devastating event as the nation's first major commercial airline crash since 2009, per ABC.
According to the media outlet, all involved in the fatal accident include 64 passengers flying American Airlines, and three army soldiers aboard the Black Hawk military helicopter. Reports confirm that army soldiers were conducting a training mission. A defense official confirmed that no senior leaders were involved.
Of the 64 AA passengers, 14 were returning home from a national competitive training camp in Wichita, Kansas, six of which were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston.
U.S. Figure Skating was able to confirm that "several members" of the skating community were present on the flight.
On Thursday, January 30, officials were able to confirm that there were no survivors in the crash, per ABC.
Here's a list of those identified so far following the accident. Additional names are expected to be identified pending investigation.
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Russian skating duo Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, Cory Haynos and both his parents, Stephanie and Roger Haynos, Spencer Lane, 16 — a talent who rose to champion status within just three years — along with his mother Christine Lane, Brielle Beyer, 12, and her mother, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, skating duo Angela Yang and Sean Kay, both 11, Everly Livingston, 14, and Alydia Livingston, 11 — known as "The Skating Sisters," Edward Zhou, 16, Jinna Han, 13, and her mother Jin Han, Olivia Eve Ter, 12, Inna Volyanskaya, 58, Franco Aparicio, and Alexandr Kirsanov, 46, Ian Epstein, Samuel Lilley, Elizabeth Anne Keys, and Grace Maxwell.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," the skating organization added. "We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available," U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board doesn't seem to have an explanation on the accident just yet, although they will be providing a preliminary report in the next 30 days.
"We will not be determining the probable cause of the accident while we are here on scene, nor will we speculate about what may have caused this accident," J. Todd Inman of the NTSB said Thursday, per NPR.
Meanwhile, many have slammed President Donald Trump's words regarding the incident. When asked by reporters if he believes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies including race or gender played a role in the tragedy, he stated it "may have," while citing "incompetence" as a potential issue.
