What to know about the victims of the D.C. plane crash
No survivors are expected after an American Airlines passenger flight collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter late Wednesday night near Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport.
The big picture: While the cause of the crash remains unknown, details are slowly emerging about the victims aboard the aircrafts.
American Eagle Flight No. 5342 had 64 people on board while the helicopter was carrying three soldiers.
John Donnelly, chief of D.C. Fire and EMS, said at a press conference Thursday morning that 28 bodies had been recovered from the Potomac River so far.
State of play: The flight was en route from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, D.C. when it collided with the helicopter.
Officials said Thursday that there had been nothing unusual about the flight paths for each aircraft leading up to the collision, nor was there a breakdown in communications.
The United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters confirmed Thursday that four of its members were aboard the American Airlines flight, though it did not reveal the victims' identities.
Virginia's Loudon County Public Schools confirmed Thursday that "multiple victims were former LCPS students." Fairfax County Public Schools similarly said it had "lost members" of its community in the incident.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed in a statement that "several members" of its community had been aboard the airplane, including "athletes, coaches, and family members."
The American Airlines flight attendants were based out of Charlotte, an Association of Flight Attendants spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Zoom in: Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, confirmed at a press conference Thursday that "to the best of their knowledge" 14 skaters were on board the flight, returning home from a development camp put on by U.S. Figure Skating in Wichita.
Of the 14, six people were affiliated with the club, including two coaches, two teenage athletes and two parents, Zeghibe said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Telegram that Russian figure skaters and other citizens were on board. Russian state news agency TASS reported that there might have been coaches of Russian origin on board as well.
Here's what we know about the victims so far:
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov
The two Russian skaters aboard the American Airlines flight were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, TASS reported.
The pair were married and former world champions, having won the pair title in 1994. They competed together at the Olympics in 1992 and 1994.
After marrying in 1995, the pair moved to the U.S. in 1998 to coach at the International Skating Center in Connecticut, per Radio Free Europe.
The Skating Club of Boston lists both Shishkova and Naumov as coaches.
Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a skater at the club, but returned home earlier in the week, Zeghibe said.
Jinna Han and Jin Han
Jinna Han was one of the athletes aboard the American Airlines flight, the Boston Skating Club confirmed Thursday.
Zeghibe described her as a "wonderful kid" and a "great competitor" who was "loved by all."
Her mother, Jin Han, was accompanying her during her time at the development camp and was also killed in the crash.
Spencer Lane and Christie Lane
Spencer Lane was another skater from the Boston Skating Club who died in the crash.
Lane was a "highly talented" skater "rocketing to the top of the sport," Zeghibe said.
His mother, Christine Lane, was also among the victims.
Inna Volyanskaya
Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam confirmed on X Thursday that one of his constituents, Inna Volyanskaya, was aboard the American Airlines flight.
Volyanskaya was a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, which said in a statement Thursday that it was "devastated" to hear of the crash but did not confirm details about any potential victims.
Inna Volyanskaya was a former professional skater who had competed for the Soviet Union, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Sam Lilley
One of the American Eagle flight pilots was 28-year-old Sam Lilley, his father Timothy Lilley told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Sam Lilley had started his pilot training in 2019 and was engaged to be married.
"This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life," his father said.
Ian Epstein
Ian Epstein was one of the American Airlines crew members who died, his family said on Facebook.
The identities of the other crew members are still unknown.
Michael Stovall and Jesse Pitcher
Michael Stovall, 40, and Jesse Pitcher, 30 were on a hunting trip with their friends in Kansas, the New York Times reported. Stovall was a steamfitter and Pitcher owned a plumbing business.
"He said he'd see me when he got back," Pitcher's father, Jameson Pitcher, told the NYT.
Go deeper: D.C. plane crash: What we know about the collision as all passengers feared dead
Editor's note: This story will be updated with additional information as it is available.
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