These are the known victims of the horror American Airlines plane crash near Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.
At least 30 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage following the devastating midair collision in the US capital, which saw the mangled aircraft plunge from the sky into the Potomac River.
It has been confirmed that no one travelling in both the plane and the chopper survived – and the identities of the victims are being disclosed to the media in stages. So far, it is believed a group of figure skaters were killed, all of whom were from the same sports club they had been representing at a competition in Kansas. These include popular 13-year-old TikTok skating star Jinna Han, and sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, aged 14 and 11 respectively, reports the Mirror.
Russian figure skating champions and renowned athlete couple Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, also died. Tributes have also poured in for popular mum-of-two Wendy Jo Shaffer, described by her partner an “unwavering spirit.” He added: “I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth.”
Former Miss Kansas, Kiah Duggins, was also among the tragic victims. She had been visiting her mum in Wichita, Kansas, and was returning to Washington DC, where she worked for Civil Rights Corps.
Inna Volyanskaya, who performed on Disney on Ice, died, it has been reported. The 59-year-old entertainer was renowned for her roles as Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel in Disney on Ice. Her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, spoke about her lasting legacy, saying: “She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate.”
The plane, Flight 5342, was on its final approach to Reagan Washington National Airport when the tragic accident happened. Debris from the collision rained down over the river and nearby areas.
Investigators are now piecing together the events leading up to the catastrophic crash. According to our sister title, the Mirror US, the confirmed victims so far include:
- Spencer Lane
- Christine Lane
- Grace Maxwell
- Evgenia Shishkova
- Vadim Naumov
- Jinna Han
- Jin Han
- Justyna Beyer
-
Brielle Beyer
- Asra Hussain
- Samuel Lilley
- Jonathan Campos
- Danasia Elder
- Ian Epstein
- Ryan O’Hara
- Mark Stovall
- Jesse Pitcher
- Inna Volyanskaya
- Wendy Shaffer
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Sean Kay
- Angela Yang
- Everly Livingston
- Alydia Livingston
- Natalya Gudin
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Kiah Duggins
Rescue efforts continued into Thursday evening with more victims likely to be identified today. However, speaking on Thursday, John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, said: “We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.
Without evidence, US President Donald Trump blamed air traffic controllers, the helicopter pilots and Democratic policies at federal agencies. He claimed that the FAA was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.”
Trump, 78, also made an awkward joke about the site of the Washington DC plane crash. Speaking at the press conference at the White House, only three miles away, he said: “I have a plan to visit – not the site. Because what – you tell me. What’s the site? Water. We’re going to go swimming?”
Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training exercise when it crashed into the plane. A complex investigation is ongoing into the cause of the disaster.
But one aviation safety expert told reporters he believes flying at night and over water could have been factors in the tragedy. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who famously landed a passenger plane on the Hudson River in New York City in 2009, has shared his taken on the tragedy.
It happened in what is some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, around three miles south of the White House and the Capitol. Federal investigators told reporters they would not speculate on the cause and stressed probes like these can take months.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators have already recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane, agency spokesperson Peter Knudson said. They were at the agency’s labs for evaluation.
The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching miles of the Potomac River, Mr Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the plane was making a normal approach when “the military aircraft came into the path” of the jet. One air traffic controller was responsible for coordinating helicopter traffic and arriving and departing planes when the collision happened, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Those duties are often divided between two people, but the airport typically combines the roles at 9.30pm, once traffic begins to slow down. On Wednesday, the tower supervisor directed that they be combined earlier.
The report said: “The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.” A person familiar with the matter, however, said the tower staffing that night was at a normal level.
The positions are regularly combined when controllers need to step away from the console for breaks, during shift changes or when air traffic is slow, the person explained, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal procedures. The Federal Aviation Administration has long struggled with a shortage of air traffic controllers, it is reported.
A top Army aviation official said the crew of the helicopter, a Black Hawk, was “very experienced” and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington.
“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” said Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation.
The helicopter’s maximum allowed altitude at the time was 200 feet (about 60 meters), Mr Koziol said. It was not immediately clear whether it had exceeded that limit, but Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said altitude seemed to be a factor in the collision. Mr Koziol said investigators need to analyse the flight data before making any conclusions about altitude.
Wednesday’s crash was the deadliest in the US since November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed into a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York, just after takeoff from Kennedy Airport, killing all 260 people aboard.
The last major fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane died, along with one person on the ground, bringing the total death toll to 50.
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