DC plane crash victims: What we know about those on AA Flight 5342, Army Black Hawk
Dozens of people are dead after a regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night over Washington, D.C., officials said, the nation's first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
The aircraft went down in the frigid Potomac River, breaking into multiple pieces. The flight -- which had departed from Wichita, Kansas -- was approaching Reagan National Airport at the time of the collision, officials said.
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There were no survivors in the crash, officials said Thursday.
There were 64 passengers aboard the plane, and three Army soldiers in the helicopter, according to officials. The soldiers, none of whom were senior leaders, were conducting a training mission, a defense official said.
Among those lost in the crash were 14 people who were returning home from a national figure skating development camp in Wichita, according to Doug Zeghibe, the CEO and executive director for the Skating Club of Boston.
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Six of the victims were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston, Zeghibe said.
"Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family," Zeghibe said in a statement.
The U.S. Figure Skating organization confirmed that "several members" of the skating community had been on the flight.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," the organization said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."
Here's what we know about the victims so far:
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, a married couple, were also killed in the crash, according to the Skating Club of Boston.
Naumov and Shishkova, who were figure skating coaches, were world champions in pairs competition in 1994.
They joined the club in 2017, Zeghibe said.
Jinna Han and Jin Han
Jinna Han, a figure skater, and Jin Han, her mother, were killed in the crash, according to the Skating Club of Boston.
Spencer Lane and Christine Lane
Skater Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane, were among the victims, the Skating Club of Boston said.
Doug Lane, Spencer's father and Christine's husband, told WCVB he and his wife adopted Spencer from South Korea.
Spencer Lane, 16, "just had amazing athletic abilities," and once he got interested in something, you couldn't stop him," his father said.
The teen decided to try skating three years ago after seeing Nathan Chen in the Olympics and "committed himself to it," his dad said.
Christine Lane, 49, who worked as a graphic designer, was "such a beautiful person" who "just connected with everyone," he said. She had just gotten her real estate license, and was also a talented quilter and volunteered at a local animal rescue, he added.
His wife would "do everything for her children, including fly to Wichita, Kansas, for a week," Doug Lane said. "She just gave parenting her all."
Alexandr Kirsanov
The wife of skating coach Alexandr Kirsanov confirmed to ABC News her husband was on the plane.
Natalya Gudin went on to say Kirsanov was with two youth ice skaters on board the flight.
"I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends," Gudin said.
Gudin, who also coaches students with her husband in Delaware, said she stayed home to be with their other skaters.
"We are husband and wife," Gudin said. "We decided who's going, who's staying home," she said. "We decided he would go to the development camp."
Gudin last spoke with her husband as he boarded the flight on Wednesday, she said.
"I need my husband back," Gudin said as she waited at a hotel for further information from authorities. "I need his body back."
Samuel Lilley
Samuel Lilley, the first officer on board American Airlines Flight 5342, recently got engaged, his sister, Tiffany Gibson, told ABC News.
"He was an amazing person. He loved people. He loved adventure. He loved traveling. He was excited. He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids. And it's just, this is just tragic," she said.
Samuel Lilley's former brother-in-law, Greg Gibson, remembered him for his passion for flying and willingness to help others.
Samuel Lilley died on the same flight path his father, Timothy Lilley, flew for years. Timothy Lilley flew Black Hawk helicopters for the Army, transporting passengers over the Potomac River from his base in Virginia.
"We were stationed in Virginia, and [Timothy Lilley] flew that same route back and forth to the Pentagon, over and over and over again until he retired," Tiffany Gibson said.
Ryan O'Hara
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp identified one of the victims as Ryan O'Hara.
Kemp offered his condolences to the family of both O'Hara and Lilley, who he said were both from Georgia.
"Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short," he said in an X post. "Marty, the girls, and I ask that all Georgians join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers."
Ian Epstein
The family of Ian Epstein, the flight attendant onboard American Airlines Flight 5342, is remembering him as a cherished father, husband, brother and stepfather.
"Ian Epstein was full of life. He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family. He was a father, a stepfather, a husband and a brother! He will be truly missed. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and support weve received, but at this time we would ask for privacy as we process and grieve our loss, his family said in a statement.
Wendy Jo Shaffer
The family of one victim, Wendy Jo Shaffer, confirmed she had been on the plane.
"We are devastated. Words cannot truly express what Wendy Jo meant as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife and most importantly, a mother. The family is requesting privacy at this time," the family said in a statement.
Brielle and Justyna Beyer
Brielle Beyer, 12, and her mother, 42-year-old Justyna, were both killed in the crash, according to Andrew Beyer, Brielle's father and Justyna's husband.
Andrew is left with the couple's 6-year-old son, he said.
