A former Miss Kansas contestant and attorney Kiah Duggins has been named as one of the victims of the American Airlines flight that crashed in Washington, DC. (Image: Facebook)
Many of the victims of the devastating American Airlines plane crash near Reagan National Airport in have been identified. The wreckage, following a mid-air collision, has yielded at least 30 bodies so far.
It’s confirmed that there were no survivors from either the plane or the helicopter. Among the dead are a group of figure skaters who were representing their sports club at a competition in Kansas.
This includes 13-year-old sensation Jinna Han and sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, aged 14 and 11, respectively.
Russian figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, are also among the deceased. Tributes have been pouring in for Wendy Jo Shaffer, a beloved mother of two whose partner described her as having an “unwavering spirit.”
He said: “I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth.”
Danasia Elder was an American Airlines flight attendant killed in the crashWashington DC plane crash victim: All the people confirmed dead in Washington’s Reagan Airport tragedy. (Image: Facebook)
Inna Volyanskaya performed with Disney on Ice. (Image: )
Former Miss Kansas, Kiah Duggins, was also tragically killed in the crash. She had been visiting her mother in Wichita, Kansas, and was returning to Washington, DC, where she worked for the Civil Rights Corps.
Inna Volyanskaya, a performer known for her roles in Disney on Ice, was also killed. The 59-year-old was celebrated for portraying Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel in Disney on Ice.
Her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, paid tribute to her talent: “She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate.”
The fatal accident occurred as Flight 5342 was making its final approach to Reagan Washington National Airport. Debris from the crash showered over the river and surrounding areas.
Grace Maxwell was a student at Cedarville University. (Image: )
Brielle Beyer, 12, and Justyna Beyer, 42 were among the victims of the DC plane crash. (Image: Facebook)
Investigators are currently working to reconstruct the events leading up to the devastating incident. The confirmed victims so far include:
- Spencer Lane
- Christine Lane
- Grace Maxwell
- Evgenia Shishkova
- Vadim Naumov
- Jinna Han
- Jin Han
- Justyna Beyer
- Brielle Beyer
Christine Lane, was confirmed to have died, by The Skating Club of Boston. (Image: Instagram)
Mother of two, Wendy Shaffer, was confirmed as one of the victims by her husband’s Nate’s friend. (Image: )
- Asra Hussain
- Samuel Lilley
- Jonathan Campos
- Danasia Elder
- Ian Epstein
- Ryan O’Hara
- Mark Stovall
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Mark Stovall was returning home from a hunting trip in Kansas. (Image: Instagram)
Samuel Lilley was also killed in the crash. (Image: Facebook)
Jonathan Campos was also killed. (Image: Instagram)
- Jesse Pitcher
- Inna Volyanskaya
- Wendy Shaffer
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Sean Kay
- Angela Yang
Ryan O’Hara from Georgia was on board the helicopter involved in the crash. (Image: Instagram)
Asra Hussain messaged husband Hamaad Raza , 25, to say ‘We are landing in 20 minutes’ as American Eagle Flight 5342 approached Reagan National Airport. (Image: Facebook)
- Everly Livingston
- Alydia Livingston
- Natalya Gudin
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Kiah Duggins
Sisters Everly and Alydia LivingstonThe sisters, 14 and 11, were members of the Washington Figure Skating Club and frequently shared images of their routines on their social media page. (Image: Instagram)
This recent handout photograph provided by The Skating Club of Boston shows club skater Jinna Han, who died in an airplane collision with a helicopter. (Image: AP)
Two of the youngest victims of the deadly Washington, DC, airplane crash have been identified as an up-and-coming youth ice skating duo Angela Yang and Sean Kay. (Image: )
Rescue operations continued into Thursday evening with more victims expected to be identified.
However, John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, announced on Thursday: “We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”
Both helicopter pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Jonathan Koziol, the Army’s chief of staff for aviation, disclosed.
Jesse Pitcher (right) was on the same trip as Stovall. He was the owner of a plumbing business and was in the process of building a new home with his wife, Kylie. (Image: Instagram)
Ian Epstein was a flight attendant on the plane. (Image: Facebook)
According to Mr Koziol, the helicopter was restricted to a maximum altitude of 200 feet (approximately 60 meters) at the time of the incident.
While it remains uncertain if the aircraft breached this ceiling, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that altitude may have played a role in the tragic event.
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Club coaches Vadim Naumov, left, and Evgenia Shishkova, who died in an airplane collision with a helicopter. (Image: AP)
Natalya Gudin and her husband Alexandr Kirsanov, seen here, coached two young figure skaters and had to decide who would accompany them to Kansas for the National Development Camp for figure skating. (Image: Facebook)
Mr Koziol emphasised the importance of examining flight data before drawing any conclusions regarding altitude.
The devastating crash on Wednesday marks the deadliest in the US since November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines jet crashed into a residential area in Belle Harbor, New York, shortly after departing from Kennedy Airport, resulting in the loss of all 260 individuals on board.
Moreover, the last significant fatal accident involving a US commercial airline happened in 2009 near Buffalo, New York, where a Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane went down, claiming the lives of everyone on board and one person on the ground, culminating in a death toll of 50.