In a devastating tragedy, all lives were lost when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter near Washington, DC. The crash has been deemed the deadliest airline accident on US soil in over two decades. How many total fatalities resulted from this collision?
Tragic Collision Claims Dozens of Lives
The fatal collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter has sent shockwaves through the nation. The crash, which occurred near Washington DC, resulted in 67 fatalities, including 64 passengers on the plane and three personnel on the helicopter.
Recovery operations have concluded, with at least 40 bodies retrieved from the Potomac River. The cause of the collision remains unknown, leaving investigators with the daunting task of piecing together the events leading to this catastrophic incident.
Some of the victims aboard the flight from the figure skating community:
– Spencer Lane
– Jinna Han
– Eddie Zhou
– Everly Livingston
– Lydia Livingston
– Franco Aparicio
– Sean Kay
– Angela Yang
– Vadim Naumov
– Evgenia Shishkova
– Inna Volyanskaya pic.twitter.com/6ATg8QosdL— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) January 30, 2025
Victims Remembered: A Cross-Section of America
Among the victims was Kiah Duggins, a civil rights attorney and former Miss Kansas contestant. Duggins was traveling to Washington, DC, to prepare for her new position as a law professor at Howard University.
Larry Strong, a representative from the Miss Augusta and Miss Butler County organization, stated, “It is with heavy heart that the Miss Augusta and Miss Butler County organization just learned that Kiah Duggins, Miss Butler County 2014 [and] 2015, was a passenger in the plane that crashed last evening in Washington, DC.” Howard University praised Duggins, saying, “She dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, DC.”
Youth ice skating partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay were among the victims of the American Airlines plane crash in DCA Wednesday night.
The duo was flying back from Wichita, Kansas, after attending the US Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp.
The video… pic.twitter.com/ICrvHxMZ3e
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) January 30, 2025
A Nation in Mourning
The crash has left a deep impact on communities across the country. Fourteen members of the figure skating community, including skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, their mothers, and coaches, were on the flight after attending a development camp.
Other victims included Grace Maxwell, a mechanical engineering student at Cedarville University, described as “a thoughtful, quiet student leader with a keen interest in helping others through engineering.” Sam Lilley, a 28-year-old American Airlines pilot, and Ian Epstein, a 53-year-old flight attendant, were also among those who lost their lives.
