'Our hearts are shattered' - World champion skaters, troops and students among victims of Washington DC plane crash
31 January 2025, 17:13
World champion figure skaters and their coaches, a civil rights lawyer, students and their parents, and a soon-to-be-married pilot were among those who lost their lives in the tragic crash on Wednesday.
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All 67 victims of the disastrous mid-air collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane in Washington DC are believed to be dead.
The aircraft erupted in a huge fireball and plunged into the Potomac River after it collided with a military helicopter just before 9pm.
The victims of the crash included teenage figure skaters returning from a national meet up with their mothers and coaches, a university student returning from her grandfather's funeral and a pilot that was due to be married.
They were among 60 passengers and four crew members on board the commercial flight when it collided with the military helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers.
As the search for remains continued on Thursday, communities grieved and faith leaders held a vigil in the city council chambers.
American Airlines set up a hotline as well as centres in Washington and Wichita for people searching for information about their family members who were on the flight.
Here's what we know about some of the people killed in the crash.
Teen figure skaters and world champion coaches
Six members of the Skating Club of Boston, including two teenagers, their mothers, and two coaches, died in the crash.
Doug Zeghibe, chief executive of the club, struggled through his tears when he confirmed their deaths.
Skaters Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16, were rising stars in figure skating, returning from the US Figure Skating Championships.
"We watched Jinna just grow up here from just a tiny little tyke into this amazingly mature 13-year-old," Zeghibe said. "A great performer, a great competitor, and off the ice, a great kid."
Spencer, who was from Barrington, Rhode Island, took part in his first professional show in December.
“Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid,” Zeghibe said. “Highly talented, has not been skating that long and has been rocketing to the top of the sport. Very fun, very cerebral."
Their mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane, were “dedicated” and always “made sacrifices,” Zeghibe said.
Their coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships in Chiba, Japan. The Russia-born pair also competed twice in the Olympics.
Skating organisations in Philadelphia and the Washington area also said some of their young athletes had been aboard the plane.
Several athletes on the flight had attended a development camp held after the US Figure Skating Championships ended on Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.
An Olympic champion figure skater who spent time with several of the victims at the camp said his “heart was shattered” over the deaths of promising skaters and coaches in Wednesday’s collision.
Scott Hamilton, 66, who won gold at the 1984 Winter games, told NBC: “I can’t wrap my head around the last 36 hours … the loss is just beyond description."
Pilot soon to be married
The pilot of the American Airlines flight Sam Lilley, 28, was killed in the crash.
Sam was soon to be married, his father Timothy Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta.
His father said he feared the worst when his son didn't get in touch after the flight as he usually did.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Lilley told Fox 5.
Thomas Lilley was an Army helicopter pilot for 20 years, and has flown a similar route over the river, he told Fox 5.
“I think the PSA jet was doing everything right,” he said. “The Army pilot made a grave error. It hurts me because those are my brothers, and now my son is dead.”
Young civil rights lawyer
Kiah Duggins, a young civil rights lawyer, was among those who died in the crash.
She was on her way home from Kansas, and worked for the Civil Rights Corps, a 'non-profit organization dedicated to challenging systemic injustice in the United States' legal system'.
Friends described her as “a brave and beautiful soul, a light in the fight for civil rights.”
Duggins, 30, was in Wichita to be with her mother after a surgical procedure, according to KMUW.
Her father, Maurice Duggins, said in a statement: “We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished firstborn. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”
Captain of American Airlines flight
Jonathan Campos was the captain of the American Airlines flight, piloting the plane alongside Sam Lilley.
Campos, 34, had dreamt of being a pilot since he was only 13 years old, his aunt told the New York Times.
"I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird," Beverly Lane said.
Lane said she talked to Campos just before the flight, and he told her he was excited for a Caribbean cruise he was meant to go on with family.
Students and their parents
Cedarville University in Ohio said one of the passengers on the plane was Grace Maxwell, 20, who was studying mechanical engineering.
Grace's father, Dean Maxwell, said she was returning to campus from her home in Wichita, Kansas, after attending her grandfather's funeral, The Wichita Eagle reported.
Grace Maxwell had been working on project to create a hand-stabilising device to help a boy in the area feed himself instead of rely on others, the university said in a statement.
"Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering," said Tim Norman, who served as her secondary advisor.
Three other students from schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, and six parents from the district were also on board the plane, superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to families.
She did not identify them, but said the students were from different schools and that two of the parents were current or former district staffers.
Hunters headed home from a trip
Seven people returning from a guided hunting trip in Kansas were killed, according to a Facebook post by Fowl Plains, the guide service.
The Fowl Plains team said they had grown close to the hunters on board the flight over the years and considered them to be family members.
The post does not identify the hunters by name, but it says they had spent the past week on a guided hunt, "laughing, talking about our families and sharing memories".
"Heartbroken is an understatement," the company said.
Army members on Black Hawk helicopter
The victims also include three soldiers who were aboard the helicopter.
The wife of one of the helicopter pilots said on Facebook that her husband, Andrew Eaves of Noxubee County Mississippi, was killed.
"We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve," her post read.
The three soldiers were doing an annual night proficiency training flight, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, adding they were a "fairly experienced crew".
Officials were notifying relatives, he said.
Officials said the remains of the three soldiers will be at Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Chinese citizens and Filipino police officer
Philippine Police Colonel Pergentino Malabed Jnr, who headed the supply management division of the national police, was among the dead.
He had travelled to the US to inspect equipment the Philippines was planning to purchase for its 232,000-member force, according to the Philippine police.
"His untimely passing is a profound loss to the Philippine National Police, where he served with honour, with integrity and dedication throughout his career," police spokesperson Colonel Randulf Tuano said in a statement.
The Chinese Embassy in the US said two Chinese nationals were also among the victims but did not offer further details.
The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences for the crash victims and requested the US to "promptly report any progress with the search and rescue, and find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible".
