Students, Olympic skaters, families and more. A tribute to lives lost in the DC plane crash

Yahoo

31-01-2025

Married figure skating champions. A student returning to college after attending a funeral. A lawyer heading home from a work trip on her birthday. Members of a steamfitters union. A 28-year-old airline officer engaged to be married in the fall. Three members of a military helicopter crew.
Wednesday night's crash between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk in Washington D.C. is believed to have spared none of the disparate lives on board both aircraft when they collided – including 60 airline passengers and four crew members.
They were parents, coaches, professionals, teenage athletes, soldiers and children.
The deaths came after the passenger jet was preparing to land shortly before 9 p.m. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after flying from Wichita, Kansas. An air traffic controller sought to guide the helicopter around the incoming plane.
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller could be heard hailing the helicopter at 8:47 p.m.
Then came the crash. Both aircraft plunged into the frigid Potomac River. The jet broke into pieces. "I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone," an air controller said.
By the following morning, first responders who had raced to locate passengers believed no one had survived the deadliest U.S. passenger air crash since 2001. Search-and-rescue efforts switched to recovery. The cause remained under investigation.
"Our community is uniting as one Wichita, one Kansas, and one American community," Mayor Lily Wu said on a day when local residents and faith leaders packed into Wichita City Hall to pray and console each other over a tragedy that stunned the nation and left painful questions.
Family members mourned. Others waited for word of a safe arrival that never came; for the identities of those whose lives were cut short began to emerge.
USA TODAY has reached out to family members as they have identified loved ones lost in the crash. This story will be updated as more victims are identified and more tributes become available.
Just before Capt. Jonathan Campos boarded the American Airlines flight he would pilot to Washington D.C., he called his aunt: He was looking forward to a Feb. 8 Caribbean cruise with extended family they'd been planning for a year.
Campos planned to arrive in Washington D.C. Wednesday night, get to Philadelphia and catch a flight back home to Ormond Beach, Florida, his aunt, Beverly Lane, told USA TODAY.
'That was the last time I heard from him,' she said.
His life was cut short, along with all passengers and crew, when the flight collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River on Wednesday night.
Campos' late father was a New York City police officer, Lane said, instilling a love of service. And he wanted to be a pilot since he was a child.
'He always wanted to soar like a bird,' she said.
The 34-year-old studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and graduated in 2015.
"Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Captain Jonathan Campos (Aeronautical Sciences,'15)," Sarah Barczyk, the university's vice president for communications, wrote in a short statement. "Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident.'
He also received his instructor certification at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Epic Flight Academy said Campos was working for PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines.
The flight school put a statement on Facebook Thursday sending condolences calling Campos "a skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying."
Campos was adventurous - he was a certified scuba diver and loved to travel.
'Two weeks ago, he was in Whistler, Canada, where he tried helicopter skiing for the first time,' Lane said. 'He lived life to the fullest, as though each day was the last.'
Lane said his body had been recovered and the family plans to lay him to rest next to his father in Queens, New York.
--Chris Kenning, USA TODAY
Kiah Duggins, 30, was a civil rights attorney, aspiring law professor and former Miss Kansas contestant.
"Kiah believed in radical love, unwavering truth, and the fight for a better world. Let's carry her torch forward," Family member Aisha Duggins wrote in a fundraiser she created slated to go toward causes and initiatives "dear to her heart, ensuring that her work and passion live on."
Prior to her death, Duggins was "set to begin a new chapter as a professor at Howard University in the fall," the university posted on social media.
She dedicated her career to fighting against "unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C.," the post reads.
In 2014 and 2015, Duggins was a two-time former Miss Kansas contestant.
A Wichita native, Duggins attended Wichita Public Schools, the district confirmed to USA TODAY Friday, and graduated from Wichita High School East.
Duggins attended Wichita State University as a Clay Barton Scholar, according to her profile on the university's website.
According to its website, the organization 'litigate[s] on behalf of movements challenging unconstitutional policing" and is dedicated to challenging systemic injustice in the United States' legal system.
−Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
One of the flight attendants on board the commercial jet was Ian Epstein, a jokester who loved making passengers comfortable, according to his ex-wife.
Ian Epstein worked for PSA Airlines and lived in Charlotte, according to his Facebook page.
"It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children Hannah Epstein and Joanna Epstein and his sister Robbie Epstein Bloom her husband Steven Bloom and nieces Andi and Dani inform you that Ian Epstein was one of the flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided last night when they were landing in DC.," his former wife Debi Epstein posted on social media Thursday.
She asked for prayers as the family travels to Washington, the post reads.
According to his ex-wife, the couple's daughter, one of their two children, is set to be married in less than two months.
'He made flying fun for the passengers on the plane so they didn't get scared,' Debi Epstein told The Charlotte Observer by phone Thursday. 'He was always the jokester and just doing the announcements with the twist.'
An outgoing person, she told the outlet, her ex-husband "died doing what he absolutely loved.'
"He had a beautiful energy about him," Jerri Sherer, of Jackson, Mississippi, told USA TODAY. "He was fun and flirty and kind to everyone."
The two met on a flight from Charlotte, Sherer said, and later dated and kept in touch over the phone "for hours".
"His sign off was what convinced me I need to give him my phone number," Sherer, 48, said. "I'd never done that to a stranger before. It was his own personal statement and was lovely. He cared about people and wanted to make others happy."
–Natalie Neysa Alund USA TODAY
Lindsey Fields loved big cats.
For the past decade, Fields, 40, taught biology at Butler Community College in the Wichita, Kansas area. She was beloved at the school, which praised her energy and dedication to her craft.
"Lindsey was a colleague, friend, and educator who dedicated her wisdom and talents to changing students' lives every day. We owe her much gratitude for sharing her light with us and we will forever feel this loss. We send much love and support to her family and friends during this most difficult time," the school said in an announcement Friday morning.
All Butler Community College campuses will observe a moment of silence on Monday, Feb. 3 at 9:45 a.m.
Fields was also president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers board of directors. According to an NABT post on Facebook, she was headed to Washington D.C. to represent the organization and advocate for excellence in life science education.
After earning a master's degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University, she interned with the Oklahoma City Zoo.
Oklahoma State Professor Andy Dzialowski was her coursework adviser at the university. He said Fields took on the rare job of being an undergraduate teaching assistant, which is a role usually reserved for post-graduate students.
"If you asked people in her department who would have been one of the most successful teachers, it would be Lindsey," he said. "She was a really nice person. A great big smile."
−Dale Denwalt, USA TODAY Network
Jinna Han, 13, was another figure skater with the Skating Club of Boston.
She, along with fellow ice skater Spencer Lane, was returning home after the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, according to U.S. Figure Skating.
Like Lane, Han competed in the U.S. Figure Skating 2025 Eastern Sectional Singles and U.S. Pairs Final in the Novice Women Free Skate, where she placed fourth, according to the national governing body for the sport. Han's performance can be found in a YouTube video posted by the association.
Han was in Wichita attending the U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Camp, according to the club.
The camp is for the 'young competitive skaters of tomorrow with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow," said Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, in a statement.
Han's mother, Jin Han, was on the flight with her and is also presumed dead. She was a "wonderful, pleasant, polite" member, he said.
"Never a discouraging word," he said. "Always appreciative, always supportive of not just Jinna, her daughter, but every athlete. Just role model parents in your sport, and you don't always get that."
− Julia Gomez and Melina Khan, USA TODAY Network
Elizabeth Anne Keys was flying back on her birthday from a work trip.
Instead, Wednesday night would be her 33rd and final trip around the sun.
"She was just the best partner and so special, had such a sharp wit, and just really pushed everyone around her to be the best versions of themselves," said her partner of six years, David Seidman.
Keys was a 2010 graduate of Madeira High School in Ohio, where she was valedictorian, according to a statement from her family. She then attended Tufts University, graduating in 2014 while also playing four years on the varsity sailing team. In 2020, she earned her Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
She had been an attorney at Wilkinson Stekloff LPP in Washington D.C. since 2021, according to her LinkedIn page.
"Elizabeth was strong and fearless – she embraced life at full speed ... She loved deeply and was deeply loved," her family said in a statement. "She was so fun – and funny! Liz had a sharp wit and appreciated it in others ... We are filled with unbearable sorrow and despair at our loss."
Along with Seidman, who the statement says is the "love of her life," Keys is survived by her parents, Martin and Mary Keys, and her Yorkie terrier, Tucker.
—Aaron Valdez, Cincinnati Enquirer
Spencer Lane, 16, was also a promising young figure skater with the Skating Club of Boston onboard.He too was returning home from the camp in Wichita, according to an Instagram post he made hours before the crash.
'I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in November. It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing,' Lane wrote in the post. 'I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people!'
In November 2024, Lane competed in the Eastern Sectionals and won first place while also achieving new personal best in the short and free skate portion of the competition, according to another post. It was his first competitive season.
One of the last photos Lane posted was to his Instagram story and captured the wing of the plane that would later be involved in the devastating crash.
"Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid," said Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston.
Lane "has not been skating that long, and just rocketed to the top of the sport,' he said.
Douglas Lane, the skater's father, told WPRI on Thursday the teen's energy was "infectious" and he was "loved by everyone.'
Lane's mother, Christine Lane, was onboard the plane with him and is also presumed dead.
Related: Figure skaters from US, Russia among those aboard doomed plane that crashed near DC
"She was one of those people that could plug in anywhere and connect with people and build a real bond," Douglas said of his wife.
Elin Schran said Spencer was brilliant and kind. Schran, daughter of skating great Dr. Tenley Albright, cast him in his first professional show in December in Cambridge.
"After the show he came over and he was just beaming," Schran said. "He was so talented. He'd only started skating a couple of years ago and he had all his triples. And not just that but his natural grace and beauty and understanding of ice and speed. His positions were just so gorgeous."
She said something clicked for Spencer during that show. "He came to me smiling, ear to ear, saying 'I get it now. I understand.' He started to discover the connection to the audience and that joy he was giving other people through his gift."
− Julia Gomez and Melina Khan, USA TODAY Network
The Livingstons, a family dedicated to each other and the sport of figure skating, were all onboard the flight toward their Ashburn, Virginia home following the Wichita event.
Comcast business executive Donna Livingston and real estate agent Peter Livingston raised Everly, 14, and Alydia, 11.
The two sisters began skating before either of them turned 5. They were following in the footsteps of Peter, who skated when he was younger. Both parents put their daughters' passion above their own careers − from near-constant traveling to finding private ice rinks, according to close friend Dalal Badri.
'He was such a dedicated father. No matter what. He would always, always make time for them so they can skate,' Badri told USA TODAY. 'You can't find a lot of dedicated skating families. They're very rare. But Donna was willing to do anything. And if we couldn't figure out how we're going to do this she was like, 'Don't worry. We'll make it work.''
The two competed across the country, both earning several juvenile championships and medals that go along with it. They thrived at both figure and roller skating, mastering different disciplines from solo dancing to freestyling.
'Everly was such a shy girl, but so focused and she just opened up and lit up when she got on the ice,' Badri said. 'Alydia was just always laughing and joking and smiling. She would always pop a joke, even if she had a straight face and was the kind of person that always wanted to make others laugh.'
-Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
A Delaware coach and at least two members of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club were on the flight, the coach's wife confirmed to Delaware Online/The News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov, who coached Angela Yang and 11-year-old Sean Kay, was among those killed in the crash, his wife, Natalia Gudin said in a phone call from Washington, D.C., where she was staying as recovery efforts continued.
On Friday, close family friend Anna Ulyanova confirmed to The News Journal that Kay's mother, Yulia, was also on the flight. Her husband, Vitali, 14-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 10 and 7, have been left "shattered."
'We've known each other for a while,' Ulyanova said of the Kays. 'We've known each other for close to 20 years.'
Ulyanova said they are all from the Chicago area, including two friends who 'jumped in the car' and drove to Delaware to help support the Kays. Yulia was an "incredible" woman "who lived for her children," according to a GoFundMe created by Ulyanova and her husband.
Kirsanov, 46, was a professional ice dancer who competed for the U.S., Azerbaijan and Russia, according to International Skating Union results. He competed until 2004, then transitioned to coaching and choreography. He coached his daughter, Nicole, now a professional skater.
'We always use American Airlines when we go to competition,' Gudin, his wife, said. 'This time, they go without me, and all of them are gone.'
Sean Kay and his brother, Skyler, competed in Austin, Texas, in 2023 at the Excel National Festival, which gives skaters an opportunity to develop skills while showcasing their strengths. An article on the U.S. Figure Skating website interviewed the brothers' mother, Yulia Kay, who explained the Excel Series gave her sons a chance to travel, compete, and to make personal connections with other skaters.
'Their favorite part was meeting other boys who love the sport as much as they do,' Yulia Kay said in the article. 'It's amazing to watch them as they support each other, encourage each other, wish good luck before competitions and congratulate each other on a great skate.'
On Jan. 21, the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club posted on its social media accounts that it was sending skaters to Wichita. 'Congratulations to everyone and we wish you all the best!' the post read, with Yang, Kay and two other skaters pictured, medals around their necks.
In a November post, the club offered a glimpse of Yang in a Skater Spotlight post. She said she got into skating because of older siblings who played hockey. She, too, started playing, but, she said, 'I soon discovered a passion for ice dance.' As her hockey skills were eclipsed by her dancing, she decided to focus on the latter.
She talked about how her family and her coaches were her inspiration, and, asked what she did in her time off the ice, she said she created digital art, painted and enjoyed traveling and playing video games.
Yang also said she had two chinchillas, Star and Space, a guinea pig named Reese's and a parakeet named Cloudy.
—Isabel Hughes, Delaware News Journal and Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY
Samuel Lilley, 28, was the first officer on the flight, according to a Facebook post made by his father Tim Lilley. The same post stated that the younger Lilley was engaged and to be married in the fall.
'I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,' the post read. 'Now it hurts so bad I can't even cry myself to sleep.'
USA TODAY reached out to Lilley's father, Tim, who said he wasn't immediately available to speak about his son. But he told the Daily Mail that his son was near becoming a captain.
Lilley graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. President Kyle Marrero in a statement to USA TODAY said the university community, 'is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our outstanding alumni Sam Lilley ('18) who embodied the eagle spirit and soared beyond in his career.'
'We will continue to keep Sam' s family and friends in our thoughts as they grieve this tragedy,' Marrero said.
-Chris Quintana, USA TODAY
Grace Maxwell had returned to her home in Wichita to attend her grandfather's funeral and was on her way back to college, according to the Wichita Eagle.
Maxwell, 20, was a junior at Cedarville University in Ohio, her father, Dean Maxwell, told The Eagle.
He said Thursday that he didn't know whether his daughter is among the passengers who have been recovered from the Potomac River.
'We do know she was on the plane,' he said.
Officials at Cedarville University confirmed the death.
"As you can imagine, the past 24 hours have been very difficult for the Maxwell family and the Cedarville University community. As a university, we do not desire to turn this tragic event into anything more than a way to honor Grace, her family, and Jesus," according to a statement sent Thursday to the university community.
President Dr. Thomas White called the news heartbreaking and said Maxwell was a "thoughtful, quiet student leader."
'Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering,' Tim Norman, who served as her secondary advisor, said in a prepared release from the university.
−Chris Quintana, Shahid Meighan and Aaron Valdez, USA TODAY Network
Figure skating coaches and former world pairs champions Vadim Naumov, 55, and Evgenia Shishkova, 52, were among those who are presumed dead in the fatal aircraft collision in Washington on Wednesday.
Doug Zeghibe, the executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, identified the two coaches as having been on the plane traveling from Wichita, Kansas to Washington. He described the couple, who were married, as "top coaches" and said they had been working at the club since 2017.
"They were very much a part of our building the competitive skating program here at the Skating Club of Boston," Zeghibe said in a news conference. "When you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport, as well."
Naumov and Shishkova were born and raised in Russia and led the nation as one of its top pairs teams in the early 1990s. The pair won the 1994 world championships and competed at two editions of the Winter Olympics, finishing fifth in 1992 and placing fourth two years later.
Ludmila Velikova, who trained the pair when they were children, told Reuters that they were "talented and beautiful people."
"They were like my own children," Velikova told the news agency. "What's happened is awful. The best people have been taken away from us."
Zeghibe described Naumov as "an old-school coach" and Shishkova as exceedingly resilient. "You couldn't see Evgenia and not just break into a smile," he said.
The two took pride in coaching their son, Maxim Naumov, who placed fourth at the U.S. national championships in Wichita on Sunday. Zeghibe said Maxim traveled back to Boston with him on Monday, so he was not on the fatal flight that collided with a military helicopter two days later.
"It's well known that mom was always too nervous to watch him skate," Zeghibe said, choking back tears. "But his dad was with him, and dad was in the kiss-and-cry (on Sunday), sharing his great performance."
− Tom Schad, USA TODAY
Asra Hussain-Raza, 26, was a Renaissance woman, according to father-in-law Hashim Raza.
'She was brilliant,' Raza told USA TODAY in an interview Thursday. 'She was cultured, she was a fashion person, she was a fantastic cook.'
Her reputation, however, came from her willingness to be a friend.
'She would call (friends) just to say hello and check on them. She was a very good person,' Raza said. 'It's devastating that she was only around for 26 years.'
Asra met her husband, Hamaad Raza, while attending Indiana University, according to her father-in-law.
The two were married two and a half years ago. 'I asked my son, when he wanted to marry her, why? He said: 'She was the kindest person he'd ever met.''
She graduated in 2020 with a bachelor's in health care management and policy, according Indiana University. She was working at a Wichita, Kansas, hospital for a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm
"She was returning from a work trip where she was helping to improve a hospital that really needed help," Hamaad Raza told WFIU/WTIU News. "And, you know, she was doing what she loved. She was even working on the flight."
Hamaad told the outlet that she made the most of her life.
'She gave a lot, but she had so much more to give,' Hamaad Raza said. 'But if there was ever someone who took advantage of their 26 years of life, it was her.'
−James Powel, USA TODAY
A group of men were on a hunting trip at Fowl Plains in Great Bend, Kansas, owner Chase White told USA TODAY. White said three of them drove home, and seven of them were on the flight that crashed.
White confirmed the men flying home from the trip were Jesse Pitcher, Charles "Charlie" McDaniel, Jonathan D. Boyd, Michael "Mikey" Stovall, Alexander "Alex" Huffman, Tommy Clagett and Steve Johnson.
"We've spent this past week, sharing the blind, laughing, talking about our families, and sharing memories," Fowl Plains wrote in a social media post. "Heartbroken is an understatement."
The United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters also confirmed that five of those people on the hunting trip were long-term members.
Stovall, 40, had been with the UA Steamfitters Local 602 for 19 years. He left behind a wife and a child, according to a GoFundMe organized by a friend.
Huffman, 34, had been UA Steamfitters Local 602 for nine years. He left behind his wife and two children, according to a GoFundMe organized for the family. 'His laugh was contagious, and he was always there if you needed him,' the fundraiser stated.
McDaniel, 44, had been with UA Steamfitters Local 602 for 22 years. Boyd, 40, had been with UA Steamfitters Local 602 for 20 years. Pitcher, 30, had been with UA Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 5 for eight years.
Pitcher had recently been married and started his own business, his father told the Baltimore Banner. 'He was just a hard worker, a great son, very reliable,' father Jameson Pitcher said, according to the Banner. 'People would call in the middle of the night, and he'd get up at whatever time it was and get up the road and take care of whatever he had to take care of.'
Johnson was an avid fisherman, according to TV station 7News DC. Johnson and his crew were regular competitors at Ocean City's massive White Marlin Open, and often winners, too. One nonprofit fishing tournament posted about Johnson on Facebook saying, 'he was a caring friend with a huge heart.'
According to a Meal Train organized for the Clagett family, Clagett has a wife and two daughters. La Plata Youth Soccer Association posted on social media saying he was a coach at his daughters' soccer club.
−Kinsey Crowley, Earle Kimel, Keith Demko and Olivia Minzola, USA TODAY Network
Friends called Wendy Jo Shaffer, 36, a 'a nurturing, joyful mother' to her two sons in a GoFundMe account posted in the wake of the crash.
'Her love, kindness, and unwavering spirit touched everyone who knew her, and her absence leaves a void that can never be filled,' the page reads.
Her husband, Nate Shaffer, echoed those words in a statement posted on X by friend and Fox News Correspondent Bill Melugin.
'Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through,' Shaffer said.
Melugin said in the post that he met the couple while working in Charlotte, where the family lives.
The GoFundMe organizers said that she made her family the center of her life.
'Her boys were her greatest pride and joy, and she dreamed of watching them grow into the amazing individuals she knew they would become,' the organizers wrote.
−James Powel, USA TODAY
Figure skating coach Inna Volyanskaya, 59, was among the skaters and coaches aboard the plane that collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night, according to Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia.
Before moving to the United States and taking up coaching, Volyanskaya competed internationally as a pairs skater for the Soviet Union. She skated with Valery Spiridonov, whose son, Anton, now represents the U.S. in ice dance.
"Dad's skating partner," Anton Spiridonov posted on Instagram. "Rest in peace, Inna."
Volyanskaya was affiliated with the Washington Figure Skating Club and coached athletes at Ashburn Ice House. According to her online biography with the rink, she also participated in "Disney on Ice" productions before becoming a coach in 2002, working with a wide range of skaters from novices to elite competitors.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Volyanskaya congratulated two of her skaters for their participation in U.S. Figure Skating's national development camp for a second consecutive year. The three-day camp followed the national championships, which ran through Sunday, and is designed to help U.S. Figure Skating better identify and support young talent.
"So proud of all their hard work and training they have done to get here," Volyanskaya wrote alongside a photo of herself with skaters Franco Aparicio and Everly Livingston.
− Tom Schad, USA TODAY
Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver and Nick Penzenstadler of USA TODAY; Dale Denwalt, Alice Mannette and Josh Kelly of the The Oklahoman
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC plane crash victims remembered: athletes, soldiers and children