Thirty of the 67 people who lost their lives when a military helicopter collided with a commercial plane in Washington, D.C., have been identified.
Among the victims were figure skating sisters Everly, aged 14, and 11-year-old Alydia Livingston, along with Asra Hussain, whose husband had been holding onto hope that she would be rescued from the water just hours after the tragic accident.
At 8:47 p.m. ET on January 29, a PSA Airlines aircraft, owned by American Airlines, was involved in a mid-air collision with a Black Hawk helicopter. According to a U.S. military official, the helicopter had been carrying three soldiers engaged in a training flight.
Flight 5342 had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was making its approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in preparation for landing when the collision occurred. The wreckage of both aircraft, which included 60 passengers and four crew members on the plane, plunged into the Potomac River.
A verified list of victims has begun to emerge, including 26-year-old Asra Hussain. Her husband, Hamaad Raza, shared with WUSA9 that he had been in contact with her only 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 told reporters. “She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes.”
After that message, his further texts failed to deliver, signaling that something was terribly wrong. “That’s when I realized something was up,” he said.
Those confirmed among the deceased at the time of reporting include Spencer and Christine Lane, Grace Maxwell, Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov, Jinna and Jin Han, Asra Hussain, First Officer Samuel Lilley, Captain Jonathan Campos, flight attendants Danasia Elder and Ian Epstein.
Members of the Black Hawk crew who lost their lives were Ryan O’Hara, 40-year-old Mark Stovall, and 30-year-old Jesse Pitcher. Others identified in the tragedy include 59-year-old Inna Volyanskaya, Wendy Shaffer, Alexandr Kirsanov, Sean Kay, Angela Yang, Everly and Alydia Livingston, Natalya Gudin, and another individual named Alexandr Kirsanov.
Additional victims 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.
One of the victims, Inna Volyanskaya, was a well-known Disney on Ice skater and former competitor for the Soviet Union.
“She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate,” said her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, in an interview with News4.
Reflecting on her impact, he added, “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.”
