All the confirmed passengers on board American Airlines flight that tragically crashed
Thirty of the 67 individuals who lost their lives in the devastating collision between a military helicopter and a commercial aircraft in Washington, D.C., have been identified.
Among the victims are figure skating sisters Everly, aged 14, and 11-year-old Alydia Livingston, along with Asra Hussain, whose husband had held onto the hope of her rescue from the water just hours after the tragedy.
The incident took place at 8:47 p.m. ET on January 29, involving a PSA Airlines flight operated by American Airlines and a Black Hawk helicopter. A U.S. military official confirmed that the helicopter was transporting three soldiers on a training mission at the time of the collision. Flight 5342 had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was in the process of landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport when the two aircraft collided. The wreckage, which included 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the plane, fell into the Potomac River.
A confirmed list of victims is beginning to emerge, including 26-year-old Asra Hussain. Her husband, Hamaad Raza, told WUSA9 that he had been in contact with her just minutes before the crash.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak, that’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God,” Raza shared with reporters. “She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes.”
After that message, her subsequent texts went unanswered, leading him to realize that something was seriously wrong. “That’s when I understood something was amiss,” he recounted.
The individuals confirmed deceased at the time of this report include Spencer and Christine Lane, Grace Maxwell, Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov, Jinna and Jin Han, Asra Hussain, First Officer Samuel Lilley, Captain Jonathan Campos, and flight attendants Danasia Elder and Ian Epstein.
The crew members of the Black Hawk who tragically perished are Ryan O’Hara, Mark Stovall, aged 40, and Jesse Pitcher, aged 30. Other individuals identified in this unfortunate event include Inna Volyanskaya, aged 59, Wendy Shaffer, Alexandr Kirsanov, Sean Kay, Angela Yang, Everly and Alydia Livingston, Natalya Gudin, and another individual named Alexandr Kirsanov.
Additional victims of this calamity include Kiah Duggins, Elizabeth Keys, Sarah Lee Best, Black Hawk pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 12-year-old Brielle Beyer, and 42-year-old Justyna Beyer.
Among those who lost their lives, Inna Volyanskaya was a distinguished skater with Disney on Ice and a former competitor for the Soviet Union. Her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, conveyed his admiration in an interview with News4, stating, “She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate.”
In reflecting on her legacy, he noted, “Just knowing the impact she made on all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul. I wish all those kids that she taught—just my condolences, and all my prayers go out to them.”
