Army helicopter, plane crash: What we know about the victims

Within about 12 hours after the crash, at least 28 bodies were pulled from the Potomac River. Crews continued searching for victims in what started as a rescue mission but turned into a recovery mission the next day.

The American Airlines plane’s fuselage was found inverted and broken into three pieces in waist-deep water, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a morning news conference. The helicopter wreckage was also found.

[ Army helicopter, plane crash: See impact caught on video, hear air traffic control (graphic warning)  ]

Here is what we know about the victims.

Several members of the U.S. Figure Skating Association were on Flight 5342, the organization confirmed.

The association released a statement, WFXT reported.

“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,” officials said.

The skaters were from the Skating Club of Boston and included the skaters, coaches and family members who were at a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championship.

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were two of the coaches killed in the crash. They won the 1994 World Championships for pairs skating and competed in the Olympics twice. They were married. Russian media confirmed they were on the flight and a spokesman for the Russian president sent condolences to the family and friends of those killed, ABC News reported.

Jinna Han, Spencer Lane, Jin Han, Christine Lane

Two teens were also killed along with their parents, skating club CEO Doug Zeghibe said.

He identified them as skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, the AP reported.

Han’s mother Jin Han and Lane’s mother Christine Lane were also killed, CNN reported.

“I don’t know what the word is, wrecked, devastated. Folks are just stunned by this,” Zeghibe said, according to the AP. “They are like family to us.”

This is not the first time the skating community has been touched by a plane crash. A crash in Belgium in 1961 killed all 18 members of the American skating team en route to the world championship were killed. Zeghibe said the skating world had just recently come out of the shadow of that incident, the AP reported.

Inna Volyanskaya

Inna Volyanskaya’s death was confirmed by Rep. Suhas Subramanym, WRC reported. Volyanskaya lived in Ashburn, Virginia and was a skating coach for Ashburn Ice House.

Ryan O’Hara

Ryan O’Hara was a soldier on board the Black Hawk helicopter. His death was confirmed by Parkview High School ROTC, which said he was the crew chief on the flight, WSB reported.

CWO2 Andrew Eaves

The U.S. Army confirmed CWO2 Andrew Eaves was killed on the Black Hawk helicopter when it collided with the American Airlines flight, The Kansas City Star reported. Eaves was from Mississippi, who had joined the Navy, serving there from August 2007 to September 2017. He then joined the army as a UH-60 pilot. He also served as a training instructor for Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion at Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the Clarion Ledger reported.

Capt. Rebecca Lobach

The Army identified Capt. Rebecca Lobach as the third member of the crew on board the Black Hawk helicopter, The New York Times reported. Her family had asked for privacy and initially asked for her identity to not be disclosed. But the family did release a statement over the weekend. Lobach was undergoing her annual evaluation flight at the time of the crash.

Samuel Lilley

American Airlines Flight 5342 first officer was identified as Samuel Lilley, CNN reported. His father confirmed Lilley’s death.

“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” Timothy Lilley said on Facebook, according to CNN. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking.”

Timothy Lilley was a helicopter pilot for 20 years.

The younger Lilley was engaged and was planning to get married in the fall.

Ian Epstein

The flight crew was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, WSOC reported. One of the crewmembers was identified by family members as Ian Epstein. He was a flight attendant on Flight 5342.

Danasia Elder

Danasia Elder was a flight attendant on flight 5342. Being a flight attendant was one of her dreams, her brother-in-law told WSOC.

Jonathan Campos

A colleague has identified the American Flight 5342 captain as Jonathan Campos, CNN reported. The coworker said Campos has been a captain at the company since 2022.

Donna Smojice Livingston, Peter Livingston, Everly Livingston, Alydia Livingston

Donna Smojice Livingston, her husband Peter and their two children Everly, 14, and Alydia, 11, were killed on board American Airlines Flight 5342, WPXI and WJAC reported. She lived in Ashburn, Virginia. Everly and Alydia were members of the ice skating community who practiced at the Ashburn Ice House, WTAJ reported.

Asra Hussain

Asra Hussain’s husband was texting with his wife moments before the helicopter collided with her flight. Raza Hussain told NBC News she had told him “We’re landing in 20 minutes.” It was the last message he got from her before he saw first responders speed past him. He tried texting her and he said the texts didn’t go through.

Asra was a consultant from Washington, D.C. and the two were married in 2023. She was on a routine work trip, Raza said.

Vikesh Patel

GE Aerospace said that Vikesh Patel was an employee and was on the American Airlines flight. The company did not say what position Patel held, NBC News reported.

Mikey Stovall

Mikey Stovall was from Maryland and was on the flight with several friends, his mother told WRC. They were on a duck hunting trip in Kansas. He had planned to go snowboarding on the day after the crash with his wife and son.

James Clagett

James “Tommy” Clagett was from Newberg, Maryland and had gone to Kansas for a hunting trip with several other friends, The Washington Post reported.

Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson was from Waldorf, Maryland and was the president of Maryland Computer Services and a competitive fisherman, WBAL reported. He was among the group of friends who were in Kansas for the hunting trip along with Stovall and Clagett, The Wichita Eagle reported.

Jesse Pitcher

Jesse Pitcher was part of the hunting trip and was from Lusby, Maryland, where he was a business owner, The Wichita Eagle reported. He and his wife had been planning to build a home together and had just broken ground.

Alex Huffman

Alex Huffman was one of the 10 hunters, seven of whom were killed on the flight as they returned from Kansas, WMAR reported. He was from La Plata, Maryland.

Charlie McDaniel

WBAL reported that Charlie McDaniel was traveling with the group and was from Port Republic, Maryland.

Jonathan Boyd

The final member of the hunting group was Jonathan Boyd from Waldorf, Maryland. He was a youth hockey coach with the Southern Maryland Sabres Hockey Club, WJLA reported.

Elizabeth Keys

Elizabeth Keys was an attorney who was killed on her 33rd birthday, her partner told The Washington Post. In addition to being an attorney, she was also a musician who played saxophone, oboe and bassoon. She was on a work trip to Wichita.

Sarah Lee Best

Keys was traveling with her coworker Sarah Lee Best, her employer, Wilkinson Stekloff said, according to The Wall Street Journal. They were there on a “client matter.” She would have celebrated her and her husband’s 10th anniversary and planned to finally take their honeymoon in May, The Washington Post reported.

Philippines National Police Col. Pergentino Malabed

Police Col. Pergentino Malabed was on board Flight 5342 as confirmed by the Philippines National Police, NBC News reported. Malabed was chief of the supply management division and was on official travel.

Robert and Lori Schrock

Robert and Lori Schrock were flying to Washington, D.C. from Kansas to take a train to see their daughter who attends a Philadelphia college, KSN reported. It was a trip that they took from their Kiowa home often, the television station reported.

Sasha Kirsanov, Julia Kay, Sean Kay and Angela Yang

Alexandr “Sasha” Kirsanov was a longtime coach at IceWorld in Abington, Delaware. He coached Sean Kay and Angela Yang who also died in the crash on Jan. 29. Kirsanov was a professional ice dancer, and had competed for the U.S. Azerbaijan and Russia before he retired, according to US Figure Skating.

His students Kay and Yang competed together as an ice dancing team. At 11 years old they won the U.S. Ice Dance Final in the juvenile division. Yang started as a solo ice dancer before her family moved to Delaware to allow her to skate with a partner. Kay followed in the ice-dancing footsteps of his sister as a solo artist before becoming Yang’s partner.

Kay’s mother Julia was with her son when the flight crashed, The Washington Post reported.

Brielle and Justyna Beyer

Mother and daughter Justyna and Brielle Beyer were in Kansas for the ice skating training event. Brielle at the age of 12 was a cancer survivor, diagnosed when she was a baby, but became a top skater. Her mother Justyna had left nursing to not only take care of her daughter during her cancer battle but then support the pre-teen in her ice skating career, The Washington Post reported. Brielle’s father Andy and brother Kallen were waiting in a car outside Reagan National Airport, texting Justyna, about when they would land. The texts were never returned, the newspaper reported.

Cory, Stephanie and Roger Haynos

Cory, Stephanie and Roger Haynos were killed on board the flight that collided with the Army Black Hawk. Corey was taking part in the U.S. Figure Skating camp, traveling with his parents, WRC reported. Just hours before he died, Cory was able to perform a difficult triple axel during the camp.

They leave behind Emily, Cory’s sister and Roger and Stephanie’s daughter, who was away at college, according to WRC.

Kiah Duggins

Kiah Duggins was a Harvard Law School 2021 graduate and was a practicing civil rights attorney who originally hailed from Kansas. During her time in law school, she was the president of Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, helping people who had been facing eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since graduation, she worked with the ACLU of Northern California and Neufeld, Sheck & Brustin, but recently was an attorney with the Civil Rights Corps and was going to teach in the fall at Howard University.

Lindsey Fields

Lindsey Fields was a biology professor at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas where she also served as department chair, The Washington Post reported. She was also the president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers which called her death a “tremendous loss,” according to The Wichita Eagle.

Grace Maxwell

Grace Maxwell was a mechanical engineering major at Cedarville University, WHIO reported. She had been in Wichita, Kansas to attend her grandfather’s funeral.

Chris Collins

Chris Collins was in Kansas with a coworker from Moody’s Investor Service, The Washington Post reported. He was originally from North Dighton, Massachusetts but lived with his wife in New York City for a time before moving to Stamford, Connecticut. He was called a “true adventurer” but also gave his time to walk dogs at an area dog rescue.

Dustin Miller

Dustin Miller was from El Dorado, Kansas, and was on a work trip for Watermark Retirement Communities where he was a senior information technician. He was a Kansas City Chiefs fan and was looking forward to their appearance in the Super Bowl, The Washington Post reported.

Olivia Ter, Oleysa Taylor

Olivia Ter, 12, and her mother Oleysa Taylor were in Kansas to participate in the camp and were on their way back home to Northern Virginia. Olivia had started skating at a young age but had become serious during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her mother Oleysa was from Mykolaiv, Ukraine, but had studied in Russia to become a neonatologist. She had lived in the U.S. since 1998, The Washington Post reported.

Franco and Luciano Aparicio

Skater Franco Aparicio and his father Luciano, who went by Lucho, were killed in the collision as they were returned home from the development camp. Franco’s coach was Inna Volyanskaya, The Kansas City Star reported. The father and son were from Fairfax County, Virginia.

GoFundMe has compiled a list of verified fundraisers for the families of those killed in the Jan. 29 collision. For more information, click here.