Authorities have confirmed the identities of 30 victims from the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash, which occurred when the aircraft collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C. Among the dead are several young athletes, including 14-year-old Everly Livingston and her 11-year-old sister, Alydia, as well as figure skating coaches and members of the U.S. Figure Skating Team.
Notable victims include Spencer and Christine Lane, Grace Maxwell, Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov, Jinna and Jin Han, Asra Hussain, First Officer Samuel Lilley, Captain Jonathan Campos, Danasia Elder, Ian Epstein, and Black Hawk crew member Ryan O’Hara. Additional confirmed deaths include Mark Stovall (40), Jesse Pitcher (30), Inna Volyanskaya (59), Wendy Shaffer, Alexandr Kirsanov, Sean Kay, Angela Yang, Natalya Gudin, Kiah Duggins, Elizabeth Keys, Sarah Lee Best, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, the Black Hawk pilot.
One of the most well-known victims, Inna Volyanskaya, was a former Disney on Ice skater and Soviet Union competitor. Her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, said, “She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen. Just knowing the impact she made on all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul.”
Authorities are still working to recover the remaining victims as investigations continue into what led to the collision. President Donald Trump called the crash “absolutely preventable” and questioned why evasive actions weren’t taken before impact.
