They were minutes away from landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., when their plane collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.
In a horrible flash captured on video and seen around the world, the fates of all 60 passengers and four crew members aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 and the three soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter were sealed.
“At this point, I don’t believe we are going to find any survivors,” Washington, D.C., Fire Chief John Donnelly said Thursday after a frantic but futile search for survivors of the Wednesday night collision.
The plane's passengers included 28 people connected to the sport of figure skating, according to a statement Sunday night from U.S. Figure Skating.
It was the first time the national governing body for the sport formally provided a number for skaters as well as those who compose their support teams who were on board.
Many were returning from a training camp following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, where the flight originated, according to authorities, foreign diplomatic officials, and surviving family members.
Two Chinese nationals were also on board, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, citing preliminary information. The embassy did not identify the victims.
Victims included crew members
The airline has not released the names of its crew members on board the American Eagle jet, although the stepmother of First Officer Sam Lilley confirmed to NBC News that he was on the plane.
"We will want to tell his story eventually," Sheri Lilley said. "He was a wonderful person.”
Flight attendant Danasia Brown was also killed, her cousin Carolyn Edwards confirmed.
Edwards said the flight was supposed to be Brown's last before changing careers within American Airlines.
Ian Epstein was a flight attendant on the plane, his sister, Robbie Epstein Bloom, confirmed.
"He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people," Bloom said in a statement. "But his true love was his family. He was a father, a stepfather, a husband and a brother! He will be truly missed."
Captain Jonathan Campos was also killed. Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University said it was “deeply saddened” by his death.
“Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident,” the university said in a statement.
The Army identified the three people aboard the downed Black Hawk as Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina.
O’Hara's family said he leaves behind a wife and 18-month-old son.
“He joined the military right out of high school and dedicated his life to his country ever since. ... Being highly involved in ROTC throughout high school, he knew what his passion was and he was dedicated to it,” his cousin Jocelyn Gompers posted on social media. “He’s described by those he worked with as a standout soldier and highly respected — one of the most dedicated, disciplined, and committed soldiers.”
As the rescue mission became a recovery effort, the stories of some of the other victims of the first commercial plane crash in the United States since 2009 began to emerge.
Young figure skaters were among the passengers
U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Samuel Auxier said the 28 members of the sport's community on board Flight 4352 — composing nearly half its passengers — includes competitors, coaches, and relatives.
"They were incredible athletes, caring and supportive family members, and coaches who worked tirelessly for their athletes," Auxier said in the statement. "They were beloved members of our global skating community, and we mourn their loss together."
The organization said counselors are available to those affected by the crash, a fund for survivors has been established, and it is organizing a March 2 survivors' benefit at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. with the help of the Washington Capitals.
He said the athletes who died in the crash had dedicated their lives to the sport and hoped to become Olympic athletes.
"May their passion and excellence inspire us and give us strength in the days ahead," Auxier said. "For now, our hearts are heavy with sorrow, and we stand with their families and friends as we grieve this unspeakable loss."
Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, both 16, were promising skaters at The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts. They were flying with their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han.
Lane got his start at Warwick Figure Skaters in Rhode Island, which posted a memorial on its Facebook page.
"He was always a bright light at our rink," it read, in part. "He was in love with the sport from the beginning and it showed. He was always excited to be on the ice and was a joy to watch."
Also killed was 12-year-old Brielle Beyer and her mother, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, who lived in a Virginia suburb of Washington. They were in Wichita so Brielle, a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia, could sharpen her skills.
“We’re heartbroken,” Justyna Beyer’s sister, Mariola Witkowska, said. “We’re just in shock.”
Brielle, she said, had been skating “her whole life,” and her mother shared her passion.
“Brielle and ice skating was pretty much her life,” Witkowska said of her sister.
Among those killed were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov who trained young skaters at the Boston skating club, Zeghibe said.
Together, the two won a 1994 world championship in pairs figure skating. They also competed in the Olympics twice, placing fifth at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, and fourth at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
But their pride and joy was their 24-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, who had competed in Wichita and had taken an earlier flight home, Zeghibe said.
Shishkova, who had been coaching at the club for more than 20 years, was too nervous to watch her son compete, Zeghibe said. That left Naumov to cheer his son on as he came in fourth place.
"When you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport, as well," Zeghibe told reporters.
Another well-known Russian figure skater, Inna Volyanskaya, was also among the dead, her former husband, Ross Lansel, told NBC Washington.
Before becoming a skating coach in 2002 in Virginia, she wowed audiences around the world playing Ariel in Disney on Ice’s “The Little Mermaid,” Lansel said.
“She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly," he said.
Natalya Gudin told ABC News that she and her husband, Alexandr Kirsanov, decided he would accompany the two of the skaters they coached to the National Development Camp in Wichita.
They last spoke Wednesday before Kirsanov boarded the plane to Reagan National. Now, Gudin is awaiting more information about her husband's remains, she said.
“I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends,” she told ABC News.
Roger Haynos, his wife, Stephanie, and their son Cory were headed back from the skating competition, two of Roger Haynos' cousins, Matthew LaRaviere and Leah Bucher, confirmed.
The couple were incredible parents who created a loving home for their two children, the cousins said. Roger Haynos had retired early to support Cory in his figure skating career and the family was so proud of him and his talent, they said.
Everly Livingston, 14, and her sister Alydia Livingston, 11, were traveling with their parents Donna and Peter Livingston, NBC affiliate WJAC-TV reported. Family members confirmed to the news station that all four died in the crash.
Everly and Alydia often showcased their skills on their Facebook page Ice Skating Sisters. Their last post on Jan. 24 showed the sisters posing for a photo at an ice rink in Wichita.
Labor union members were also on board
Also aboard the plane were five members of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters Local 602, which is based in the Washington area, the union said in a statement.
Union President Mark McManus and business manager Chris Madello did not identify them by name or explain why they were traveling together.
"These members will be forever in our hearts, and may God bless them and their loved ones," they said.
Another labor union, the Communication Workers of America, posted on X that two members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA were aboard the America Eagle plane.
“Our union is grieving along with all those affected,” the post read.
Mikey Stovall, a steamfitter in Maryland, was on the flight with seven of his friends, his mother, Christina Stovall, told NBC Washington.
Stovall, 40, and his friends were returning home from a duck hunting trip in Kansas. He is survived by his wife of 11 years and an 11-year-old son, the station reported.
Tommy Clagett’s wife, Jill Clagett, remembered him as a “devoted husband and girl dad.” Clagett, who lived in Newburg, Maryland, was a soccer coach and “standout soccer dad to every player and parent on the field.”
“To know Tommy was to love him. Tommy was a well-loved, hardworking, avid outdoorsman who was thoughtful and respectful at home and work,” she said in a statement. “Although lives all across SoMD are forever changed, as these long-time friends lived and died alongside one another, the outpouring of support echos the pride Tommy had for this community.”
Crash shatters families
The victims also included a law professor, beloved family members and an attorney who fully embraced life.
Kiah Duggins, a professor at Howard University School of Law, was on the flight, the university's president, Ben Vinson III, said in a post on X. Her death was confirmed by her parents.
“We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished firstborn,” they said in a statement.
Wendy Jo Shaffer, a wife and mother of two boys, ages 3 and 1, was also killed, according to a verified online fundraiser.
“I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth. Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through,” Wendy’s husband, Nate Shaffer, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Lori Schrock, 56, and her husband, Robert “Bob” Schrock, 58, were also among those killed in the midair collision, their daughter, Ellie Schrock told The Washington Post.
The couple lived in Kiowa, Kansas, about 90 miles southwest of Wichita near the Oklahoma border, where Bob worked as a farmer, she said. They had been traveling from Wichita to Washington with a plan to continue on to visit Ellie, a junior at Villanova University in Philadelphia, she said.
Elizabeth Keys, who turned 33 on Wednesday, was strong, fearless and deeply loved, her mother, Mary Keys, said.
She worked as an attorney for Wilkinson Stekloff in Washington, where she and the "love of her life" lived and enjoyed hosting people at their home, her mother said.
“Liz was a warm, generous woman. She was so fun — and funny! Liz had a sharp wit and appreciated it in others,” Mary Keys said. “Gatherings were always better when Liz was there; she was filled with light and joy.”
“Words cannot express how deeply Elizabeth, my Bitsy, will be missed. We are filled with unbearable sorrow and despair at our loss.”
Keys was on the flight with her Wilkinson Stekloff colleague Sarah Lee Best.
“Liz and Sarah were cherished members of our firm—wonderful attorneys, colleagues, and friends,” Beth Wilkinson said in a statement on behalf of the firm. “Beyond being an excellent lawyer, Liz brought fearlessness, humor, and sharp wit to work every day no matter the setting or circumstances. Sarah joined us just last fall and quickly energized us all with her boundless curiosity, kindness, and intelligence."
Wilkinson said the firm is “heartbroken by this terrible tragedy.”
Asra Hussain had been texting her husband, Hamaad Raza, throughout her flight home from a routine business trip. While Raza waited at the airport for her to land, EMS sped past him and his texts to his wife stopped going through, he said.
The couple, both consultants who met in college, were married for 2 ½ years. Raza said his wife was “such a giver” and made him feel loved.
“She truly cared about our relationship and about me, and it made me feel like the luckiest husband alive,” he said.
A day after the crash, Raza said he has not come to grips with what happened and has been thinking about his wife and what she was thinking while onboard.
“I always pick her up from departures, and I always help her load the bag into the car and give her a big hug and a kiss and, and, then off we go,” he said. “I had dinner waiting at home.”
Imam of the Indianapolis Muslim Community Association Ahmed Alamine, recounted how honored he was to officiate the couple's wedding. He remembered Hussain as a "remarkable young woman" who was "radiant with kindness, faith, and generosity."
