What we know about victims of the American 5342, Army helicopter collision

The mid-air collision betwixt an American Airlines pitchy and a U.S. Army helicopter adjacent Washington, D.C. killed each 67 radical aboard some aircraft, according to a preliminary study by the Federal Aviation Administration.

A full of 60 passengers and 4 crewmembers were onboard American Eagle Flight 5342, portion 3 soldiers were onboard the UH-60 Black Hawk chopper erstwhile the 2 craft collided and plunged into the Potomac River.

Search-and-rescue efforts that began astir 9 p.m. connected Wednesday yet switched to a betterment operation, aft D.C.’s Fire and EMS main confirmed that officials believed no 1 had survived the crash. As of Thursday evening, at slightest 28 bodies had been recovered, authorities said.

Here’s what we cognize astir immoderate of the victims of the nation’s deadliest aerial catastrophe successful implicit 2 decades.

Among the recovered bodies were each 3 soldiers flying the Army Black Hawk helicopter, who officials said were each “very experienced.”

“Both pilots had flown this circumstantial way before, astatine night. This wasn’t thing caller to either 1 of them,” according to Jonathan Koziol, main of unit for Army aviation. “Even the unit main successful the backmost had been successful the portion for a precise agelong time, precise acquainted with the area, precise acquainted with the routing structure.”

The unit main was identified arsenic Ryan O’Hara, a devoted hubby and begetter to a 1-year-old son. The 29-year-old worker was portion of the 2014 people of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps astatine Parkview High School successful Lilburn, Ga.

“Ryan is fondly remembered arsenic a feline who would hole things astir the ROTC gym arsenic good arsenic a captious subordinate of the Rifle Team,” JROTC wrote successful a tribute shared connected Facebook.

The identities of the 2 different soldiers had not been made nationalist by authorities arsenic of Thursday afternoon.

Among the 64 passengers and unit aboard Flight 5342, 14 of them were members of the figure-skating community — including six who were members of The Skating Club of Boston.

At left, a caller handout photograph provided by The Skating Club of Boston shows nine skater Spencer Lane. At right, a caller handout photograph provided by The Skating Club of Boston shows nine skater Jinna Han. (The Skating Club of Boston via AP)

Skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, who were astir 16, and some of their mothers were killed, arsenic were coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the club’s enforcement manager said astatine a quality conference.

The Skating Club of Boston coaches Vadim Naumov, left, and Evgenia Shishkova, who died successful an airplane collision with a chopper connected Jan. 29, 2025 successful Washington. (The Skating Club of Boston photograph via AP)

Sam Lilley, the archetypal serviceman of the doomed American Eagle flight, was a Georgia autochthonal and Georgia Southern University graduate, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The 28-year-old was engaged to get joined successful the fall, his father, Timothy Lilley, wrote successful an affectional Facebook post.

American Airlines aviator Sam Lilley.

The aviator of the American Eagle pitchy was identified Thursday afternoon as Captain Jonathan Campos, a 2015 postgraduate of Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University.

Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder were the two Charlotte, N.C.-based formation attendants moving connected Flight 5342, according to section reports. Epstein’s ex-wife, Debi Epstein, confirmed the quality successful a Facebook post, “with a precise dense bosom and utmost sadness.”

Speaking with The Charlotte Observer, she said her erstwhile hubby “made flying amusive for the passengers connected the level truthful they didn’t get scared,” adding that helium “died doing what helium perfectly loved.”

Ian Epstein

A schoolhouse territory successful Virginia confirmed that nine members of the schoolhouse community had been killed successful the crash.

“Many connected the formation were returning from a fig skating lawsuit successful Wichita, Kansas,” Fairfax County Public Schools Michelle Reid said successful a connection Thursday afternoon.  “What we cognize astatine this clip is that 3 of our FCPS students and six of our FCPS parents were lost, affecting aggregate schools and departments present astatine FCPS. Two of the parents were existent oregon erstwhile FCPS unit members.”

With News Wire Services