Latest news with #5342
Boston Globe
30-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
NTSB finds Army chopper in fatal midair crash with plane was above altitude limit
Advertisement The board's final report won't be released until sometime next year, but it became clear Wednesday how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the crash. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The second panel of witnesses were sworn in for a NTSB hearing on the Jan. 29 midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport, on Wednesday. KENNY HOLSTON/NYT The January nighttime incident was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation. Animation, altimeter discrepancy The hearing opened Wednesday with a video animation showing where the helicopter and airliner were leading up to the collision. It showed how the helicopter flew above the 200 feet (61 meters) altitude limit on the helicopter route along the Potomac River before colliding with the plane. Advertisement Investigators said Wednesday the flight data recorder showed the helicopter was actually 80 feet to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) higher than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon showed they were flying. So the NTSB conducted tests on three other helicopters from the same unit in a flight over the same area and found similar discrepancies in their altimeters. Dan Cooper with Sikorsky helicopters said that when the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was designed in the 1970s, it used a style of altimeter that was common at the time. Newer helicopters have air data computers that didn't exist back then that help provide more accurate altitude readings. The NTSB tested Black Hawk helicopters from the same unit and found that their barometric altimeters were 80 feet to 130 feet lower than the altitude readings from a radio altimeter, according to the board's Altimeter Testing Report. A barometric altimeter measures atmospheric pressure to determine altitude, with pressure decreasing as altitudes increase. Radio altimeters bounce radio waves off of the ground or the surface of water to determine altitude. Gwen Duggins (second from right), whose daughter Kiah Duggins was killed on the American Airlines flight 5342 collision with a US military helicopter, wiped away tears while listening to the audio of the flight radio transmissions during Wednesday's hearing. Rod Lamkey/Associated Press Chief Warrant Officer Kylene Lewis told the board that she wouldn't find an 80 to 100 foot discrepancy between the different altimeters on a helicopter alarming because at lower altitudes she would be relying more on the radar altimeter than the barometric altimeter. Below 500 feet (152 meters), Lewis said she would be checking both instruments and cross referencing them. She said as long as an altimeter registers an altitude within 70 feet of the published altitude before takeoff the altimeter is considered accurate under the checklists. Army officials said a discrepancy of 70 to 100 feet (21 to 30 meters) between the Black Hawk's altimeters is within the acceptable range because pilots are expected to maintain their altitude plus or minus 100 feet. Advertisement The greater concern is that the FAA approved routes around Reagan airport that included such small separation distances between helicopters and planes when planes are landing. 'The fact that we have less than 500 foot separation is a concern for me,' said Scott Rosengren, chief engineer in the office that manages the Army's utility helicopters. But Rosengren said that 'if he was king for a day' he would immediately retire all the older Black Hawk models like the one involved in this crash and replace them with newer versions of the helicopters. Questions over the route Army officials and the head of a local medevac helicopter company that flies around Washington told the board they believed air traffic controllers would never let them fly the helicopter route involved in the crash anytime a plane was approaching the runway. Chief Warrant Officer David Van Vetchen said after the crash he talked to many of his fellow pilots and everyone had the same assumption that controllers would never allow them to fly across the path of the runway the American plane was approaching before the crash. Citing the numbers for runways, Van Vetchen said that '100% of the time when I was on route four and 33/15 was active' he would be instructed to hold until after the plane landed or took off from that runway. The board opened the three days of hearings on Wednesday by showing an animation and playing audio and video from the night of the collision, as well as questioning witnesses and investigators. KENNY HOLSTON/NYT 'Stepped on transmission' During the two minutes before the crash, one air traffic controller was directing airport traffic and helicopters in the area, a task that involved speaking to or receiving communications from several different aircraft, according to the NTSB's History of Flight Performance Study. Advertisement The air traffic controller had spoken to or received communications from the Black Hawk helicopter, an airplane that was taking off, an Air Force helicopter, an airplane on the ground, a medical helicopter and an inbound flight that was not the American Airlines plane that would crash. 'All aircraft could hear the controller, but helicopters could only hear other helicopters on their frequency and airplanes only other airplanes,' the report stated. 'This resulted in a number of stepped on transmissions as helicopters and airplanes were not aware when the other was communicating.' Stepped on transmissions are those that are unheard or blocked because of other transmissions. The NTSB report provides a list of 29 separate communications between the airport tower and other aircraft during approximately the 1 minute and 57 seconds before the collision. Previously disclosed air traffic control audio had the helicopter pilot telling the controller twice that they saw the airplane and would avoid it. Officials on Wednesday also raised the use of night vision goggles, which limit the wearer's field of view, on the helicopter as a factor. The animation ended with surveillance video showing the helicopter colliding with the plane in a fiery crash. Investigations have already shown the FAA failed to recognize a troubling history of 85 near misses around Ronald Reagan National Airport in the years before the collision, and that the Army's helicopters routinely flew around the nation's capital with a key piece of locating equipment, known as ADS-B Out, turned off. Christina Stovall, whose husband, Mikey Stovall, died on American Airlines flight 5342 in a collision with a US military helicopter, wept as she left the room during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on Wednesday. Rod Lamkey/Associated Press Proposed changes U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, introduced legislation Tuesday to require all aircraft operators to use both forms of ADS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, the technology to broadcast aircraft location data to other planes and air traffic controllers. Most aircraft today are equipped with ADS-B Out equipment but the airlines would have to add the more comprehensive ADS-B In technology to their planes. Advertisement The legislation would revoke an exemption on ADS-B transmission requests for Department of Defense aircrafts. Homendy said her agency has been recommending that move for decades after several other crashes. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that while he'd like to discuss 'a few tweaks,' the legislation is 'the right approach.' He also suggested that the previous administration 'was asleep at the wheel' amid dozens of near-misses in the airspace around Washington's airspace. Associated Press writers Leah Askarinam, Ben Finley and Rio Yamat contributed to this story .
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
The world's worst air crashes in recent years
An aerial view shows officials working at the site after removed big wreckage of burnt Japan Airlines' (JAL) Airbus A350 plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft next to it's runway at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan January 7, 2024, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that went off the runway and crashed lies at Muan International Airport, in Muan, South Korea, December 30, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji A barge carrying a crane transports parts of the wreckage from the Potomac River as an American Airlines plane lands on the runway, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz LONDON - Many people were killed when an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities said, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. Below are details of other fatal crashes in recent years. 2025 UNITED STATES More than 60 people were killed when an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on January 29 and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 2024 SOUTH KOREA Jeju Air international flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024, killing all 175 passengers and four of the six crew in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil. KAZAKHSTAN Azerbaijan Airlines international flight J2-8243, an Embraer E190, crashed on December 25 after being diverted from Russia to Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said in December the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia. Moscow has not confirmed this. JAPAN A Japan Airlines (JAL) plane collided with a smaller Coast Guard aircraft on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda airport on January 2. All 379 people aboard the JAL plane, an Airbus A350-941 flight, escaped the burning airliner. Five of six crew on the smaller aircraft were killed. 2022 CHINA A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into a mountainous region in the southwestern Guangxi region on March 21, 2022, killing all 132 people on board, in China's deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years. 2020 IRAN Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800 on Jan. 8, 2020 shortly after it took off from Tehran Airport, killing all 176 people on board. Iran's civil aviation body blamed a misaligned radar and an error by an air defence operator. 2019 ETHIOPIA A Boeing 737-MAX 8 Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed on March 19, 2019 minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa for Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. Soon after, the Boeing 737 MAX global fleet was grounded over safety concerns. 2018 INDONESIA A Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air plane crashed into the Java Sea soon after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people on board. 2014 MALAYSIA Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. All 298 passengers on board were killed. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The remains of the Boeing 777 and the 239 people have not been found. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Frozen in time': figure skating world unites in grief and tribute at Boston world championships
Boston mayor Michelle Wu speaks during a ceremony at the world figure skating championships on Wednesday to honor the victims of the American Eagle flight 5342 crash on 29 January in Washington DC. Photograph:The lights dimmed, the arena fell silent and a sport took a collective breath. On Wednesday night at TD Garden, the world figure skating championships paused between events for something far more profound than medals or scores: a solemn tribute to the 28 members of the skating community who died in January when American Eagle flight 5342 crashed into the Potomac River. Held after the women's short program and before the start of the pairs' short program, the ceremony honored the skaters, coaches and parents who were returning from a development camp held in conjunction with the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas. Advertisement Flight 5342 had lifted off from a wintry runway in southeast Kansas, carrying dozens of young skaters, their coaches and parents who had just attended a US Figure Skating development camp following nationals. Many had posted about what they'd learned – new jumps, spins, friendships. They never got the chance to bring that energy home. On final approach to Washington DC, the regional jet collided with a military helicopter, killing all 67 people aboard. Schedule All times EST. Wed 26 Mar • Women's Short, 12.05pm (Peacock) • Women's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Remembrance Ceremony, 6.15pm (Peacock) Advertisement • Pairs' Short, 6.45pm (Peacock) Thu 27 Mar • Men's Short, 11.05am (Peacock) • Men's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Pairs' Free, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Free, 8pm (USA Network) Fri 28 Mar • Rhythm Dance, 11.15am (Peacock) • Rhythm Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Women's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Women's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sat 29 Mar • Free Dance, 1.30pm (Peacock) • Free Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Men's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Men's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sun 30 Mar • Exhibition Gala, 2pm (Peacock) How to watch outside the US United Kingdom As of last year, Premier Sports holds the broadcasting rights for the World Figure Skating Championships in the UK, with coverage extending until 2028. To watch the championships, you'll need a subscription to Premier Sports, which offers live coverage of the events. You can subscribe through their official website or via certain TV providers that include Premier Sports in their packages. Advertisement Australia SBS provides live and free coverage of the World Figure Skating Championships in Australia through SBS On Demand. Among the victims were two young athletes from Boston – Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16 – their mothers, along with revered Olympic coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The tragedy cut across generations and geographies: 11 of the dead were skaters between the ages of 11 and 16. The city of Boston, long a historic hub for American skating, became its emotional epicenter. Related: 'Our youngest and brightest': grief of DC plane crash rocks figure skating community 'Someone once told me time is a great healer,' said International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim during the memorial. 'But for those who have experienced deep loss, we know that time does not simply erase pain. For many of us, it feels like we are frozen in time.' Advertisement Doug Lane, whose son Spencer and wife Christine were among those killed, stood before a hushed crowd of thousands at TD Garden and offered a message that blended grief with resolve. 'They haven't really invented the vocabulary to talk about the grief that we're all feeling,' Lane said. 'So what I thought I would do with my time today is share a few thoughts of hope.' He called on the audience to support the young skaters who are still here – those who are grieving and still lacing up their skates each day. 'They're hurting,' he said. 'I hope we can support them in their skating journeys, but I also hope we can help them find paths of happiness and impact off the ice as well.' Lane also addressed the systemic failures that may have led to the crash. 'Even a layperson like me can easily identify the breakdowns that allowed this to happen,' he said. 'But rather than look for blame, I hope we can work with our elected officials to make air travel safer for everyone.' Advertisement The 20-minute tribute included a video montage of the victims, poetry read by US Figure Skating's interim CEO Sam Auxier, before concluding with live performance from Boston's Coro Allegro Choir. Massachusetts governor Maura Healey and Boston mayor Michelle Wu both addressed the gathering. The audience, including many moved to tears, rose for a standing ovation when it finished. At the renowned Skating Club of Boston, which produced such champions as Dick Button, Tenley Albright and Nancy Kerrigan and where the six local victims trained and taught, an impromptu memorial remains: two folding chairs that once belonged to Jinna Han and Spencer Lane are now covered in cards, flowers, photos, and stuffed animals. The space is roped off – not by the club, but by the skaters themselves. 'The kids insisted,' said Doug Zeghibe, the club's chief executive. 'It's their way of keeping Spencer and Jinna close.' Earlier this month, a gala tribute in Washington DC brought generations of figure skating stars together. Legacy on Ice featured performances by Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Amber Glenn and reigning world champion Ilia Malinin. Thirteen-year-old Isabella Aparicio skated in honor of her father and brother, Franco and Luciano, who were killed. Max Naumov – whose parents, Shishkova and Naumov, died in the crash – performed in their memory. Advertisement Related: Alysa Liu vaults to shock lead at figure skating worlds with statement program 'They're not here right now, but they'll always be here,' Naumov told NBC Sports. 'It's not just me anymore. It's our family. I have the strength of two other people with me forever.' The Washington gala raised more than $1.2m for victims' families and first responders. Malinin, too, has spoken openly about how the crash affected him. Several of the young skaters killed trained at the same rink as the 20-year-old US champion. 'Now I'll always have them in my head and in my heart,' Malinin said. 'This worlds, I really want to dedicate to everyone on that flight. I want to give my all in that performance and really make it special for them.' Advertisement Though grief was front and center on Wednesday night, the world championships now turn toward the ice. The event also serves as a critical qualifying step toward the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, with national quotas on the line and international rivalries heating up – even as one of skating's most dominant nations remains sidelined. Russian skaters are still barred from international competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year. Malinin enters as the overwhelming favorite in the men's event. Known as the Quad God for his boundary-pushing jumps, he's looking to defend his world title on home ice. His challengers include France's Adam Siao Him Fa and Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. In the women's event, the Japanese star Kaori Sakamoto's bid for a fourth straight world title hit a snag earlier Wednesday when she finished the short program in fifth place behind surprise leader Alysa Liu, back on the world championships stage following a two-year retirement. American Amber Glenn, who entered Boston undefeated this season, was ninth after falling on her opening triple Axel, but honored the crash victims by holding up a T-shirt emblazoned with their names during her post-skate interview. The pairs field remains wide open, and in ice dance, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates are seeking a third consecutive world title. That would mark the first three-peat at worlds in the discipline in 28 years. Advertisement Still, for many, these world championships will never be just about competition. 'The kids are back on the ice,' Zeghibe said. 'But they're skating with a deeper purpose.' The lights came up harshly after the tribute. The music swelled and the competition resumed. But for those who lost friends, coaches and teammates this winter, the ice will never quite feel the same. 'February was hard,' as Zeghibe put it. 'March has been a little better. And it's all our hope that April will be better still.'
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Public memorial planned for D.C. flight co-pilot Sam Lilley
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — A public memorial service has been planned for Sam Lilley, the Richmond Hill-born co-pilot killed on the fatal American Airlines flight 5342. Lilley's father, Tim, shared on a Facebook post that the service will be held at the Georgia Southern Savannah Campus Fine Arts center on Saturday, Feb 15. at 11:00 a.m. Tim Lilley spoke to News 3 last week about his late son, who served as First Officer on the flight. He previously eulogized his son on Facebook. 'I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,' Tim Lilley wrote. 'Now it hurts so bad I can't even cry myself to sleep. I know I'll see him again but my heart is breaking.' Sam Lilley went to Richmond Hill High School and graduated from Georgia Southern University. On Saturday, Feb. 8, Lilley was honored with a water canon salute at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport before the body was carried by hearse back to his hometown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
D.C. Plane Crash Victims: What We Know
A memorial for the victims of the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter is displayed at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Mass., on Jan. 30, 2025. Credit - Ziyu Julian Zhu—Xinhua/Getty Images All 67 people in the horrific midair collision between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter on Wednesday are believed to be dead, in the deadliest aviation incident involving a U.S. commercial aircraft in 22 years. The PSA Airline-operated commercial plane, which had 60 passengers and 4 crew members, had been headed for the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Virginia from Wichita, Kans. when it collided with the helicopter, which had three personnel on board. President Donald Trump said Thursday no one survived the crash. Recovery efforts continued on Friday morning, and as of Jan. 30, more than half of the victims' bodies have been recovered, per Reuters. Families and friends of the victims have since identified some of them and paid tributes. Here's what we know about the victims. The three soldiers onboard the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that collided with American Eagle flight 5342 were from B Company, 12th Combat Aviation Battalion, based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a press conference Thursday said the soldiers were a captain, a staff sergeant, and a chief warrant officer conducting 'a routine annual retraining of night flights.' Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the Army's aviation directorate, told reporters that the crew members were 'a very experienced group.' The instructor pilot, in command of the aircraft, had 1,000 flying hours, Koziol said, and the other pilot, a woman, had 500 hours. The third soldier was a crew chief, who typically rides the back of the helicopter. The U.S. Army has not named the soldiers pending next-of-kin notifications, though Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on X named the chief warrant officer as Brooksville native Andrew Eaves. News outlets, including the Macon Beacon, have confirmed Eaves' death following the collision. Per the Macon Beacon, Eaves 'was a Central Academy graduate who grew up in the Brooksville area.' CBS News also identified the helicopter crew chief as29-year-old Ryan O'Hara. He is survived by his wife and his 1-year-old son. Jonathan Campos, 34, has been identified as the captain of American Eagle flight 5342. Campos was a 2015 graduate of Aeronautical Science at the Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., which has since said in a Thursday statement that it 'is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of' Campos. Campos' aunt, speaking to the New York Times, said the pilot had been working at PSA Airlines, which operated the flight, for eight years. Epic Flight Academy, where Campos earned his Certified Flight Instructor rating from, also issued a statement: 'He was a skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying.' Sam Lilley, 28, was Campos' co-pilot on American Eagle flight 5342, his father Timothy confirmed to FOX 5 Atlanta. Lilley's father said Lilley began his flight training in 2019 and had been working with PSA Airlines for two years. Lilley was also engaged. Ian Epstein was one of two flight attendants onboard American Eagle flight 5342. His family confirmed his death in a statement on Facebook. According to Charlotte, N.C.-based station WSOC-TV, Epstein was a former Camping World salesman. Danasia Elder, 34, was the other flight attendant, the Charlotte Observer reported. Elder's brother-in-law has described her as 'very bright, very smart,' adding that 'she was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.' Elder is survived by her husband and two children. Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of Skating Club of Boston, said in a briefing that, 'to the best of our knowledge,' 14 members of the figure skating community were passengers in the jet. The 14 were returning from a development camp held in Wichita, and six of those were members of the skating club—two coaches, two teenage athletes, and the athletes' moms. The coaches, Zeghibe said, were former World champions and married couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The Russia-born couple won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships in Chiba, Japan competing for Moscow, and also competed twice in the Olympics in 1992 and 1994. According to Radio Free Europe, Naumov, 55, and Shishkova, 52, moved to Connecticut in 1998 and began coaching there. They are survived by their son, Maxim, who was also a skater in the club, but was not on the fatal flight, Zeghibe said. Among the other members of the Skating Club of Boston aboard the plane were aspiring skater Spencer Lane and his mom Christine. Zeghibe described Lane, about 16, as a 'crazy kid, highly talented' who 'has not been skating that long and was rocketing to the top of the sport.' According to PEOPLE, Lane, who previously studied in Barrington High School in Rhode Island, announced in 2022 his plans to train to become an ice skater to compete in the Olympics. His mother Christine joined him in the Wichita camp. A statement from the Lane family reads: 'Christine exuded creativity throughout her life, using her formal graphic design training as a jumping-off point for seemingly endless creative pursuits across areas such as photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo. She was also a lover of animals, and we lost track of how many dogs she helped place in loving adoptive homes.' Jinna Han and her mother Jin, of Mansfield, Mass. were also among the six Skating Club of Boston members aboard American Eagle flight 5342. Jinna, 13, was 'a wonderful kid,' according to Zeghibe. Jimmy Ma, who placed 5th in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, described the teenage Han and Lane as "the next generation of us,' according to CBS News. The wife of Alexandr Kirsanov, who coached two young figure skaters aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, confirmed his death to ABC News. "I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends," Natalya Gudin, Kirsanov's wife, said. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) also mentioned in a post on X that one of his constituents, Inna Volyanskaya, a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, was also aboard the flight. TASS earlier reported that Volyanskaya was a bronze medalist at the 1980 USSR Championships. Many of those believed to have died were young skating talents. The New York Times also reported on the deaths of Cory Haynos, from North Virginia, who was only 16 in December when he completed one of figure skating's hardest jumps. Haynos had died with his father and mother, Roger and Stephanie. 'Roger and his wife died flying home with their son from the US Ice Skating Championships in Kansas,' Roger's cousin, Matthew Alan LaRaviere, said in a statement posted on social media. 'Cory was an amazing skater with a very bright future with the US Skating Team.' The same New York Times report also mentioned Eddie Zhou, Haynos' training friend, was also on the flight. The Times also cited neighbors and co-workers who said that Zhou's parents also died. The Times also mentioned Brielle Beyer and her mother Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, as passengers of flight 5342. According to the Kansas City Star, Brielle, a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia. turned 12 about two weeks before the crash. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) in a statement confirmed the deaths of young ice-skating duo Sean Kay and Angela Yang, whom Kirsanov coached. PEOPLE reported that figure-skating sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, aged 14 and 11, were also on the flight. NBC affiliate in Tampa WFLA reported that Olivia Ter, a 12-year-old figure skater from Maryland, was also among those figure skaters who died in the crash, based on the Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George's County's confirmation. Ter was returning home from the development camp in Wichita. 'Olivia not only excelled in figure skating programs but inspired others through her talent, determination and sportsmanship,' Prince George's County Parks and Recreation said in a statement published by CBS News. 'Her passion for the sport and positive influence on her peers and coaches will not be forgotten.' The United Association, a Maryland-based organization representing approximately 384,000 plumbers and service technicians in the U.S. and Canada, issued a statement saying that five of its members were also on the PSA Airlines-operated flight, though their names were not released. Four of the five were members of UA Steamfitters Local 602, according to the statement. The New York Times reported that Michael Stovall and Jesse Pitcher were also on board the plane. Stovall had flown with at least six of his friends from a hunting trip, his wife told the Times, and was a steamfitter by trade, though it is unclear if Stovall was among those UA Steamfitters members. Pitcher, according to his father, was the owner of a plumbing business. CBS News reported that 26-year-old Asra Hussain Raza, who had recently relocated to Washington, D.C., for a consulting job, was aboard flight 5342 to head home after a work trip, per her father-in-law Hashim Raza. Raza was said to be a graduate of the University of Indiana and Columbia University. On X, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont extended his condolences to Casey Crafton, saying, 'Salem has lost a dedicated father, husband, and community member.' NBC Connecticut reported that Crafton is a father of three and a youth soccer coach. The Montville Youth Soccer Club described Crafton as a 'a valued volunteer… who helped to enrich the lives of all those that he came in contact with.' The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Elizabeth Keys, a 33-year-old attorney at Wilkinson Stekloff LPP in Washington D.C., was also one of the passengers on the flight. Keys had been flying back to D.C. for a work trip, according to her partner David Seidman, and died on her birthday. Howard University Professor Kiah Duggins was also among those killed in the plane-helicopter collision. The university issued a statement on social media: 'Professor Duggins was set to begin a new chapter as a professor at Howard University School of Law this fall. As a civil rights lawyer, she dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C. We ask for privacy and respect for Professor Duggins' family, students, and colleagues during this difficult time.' China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed that two Chinese nationals were also passengers on the plane. The ministry had asked the U.S. to 'promptly report the progress of the search and rescue, find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible, and properly handle the follow-up.' The Philippine National Police also confirmed that PCol. Pergentino Malabed, chief of the supply management division, was on the flight. In a statement, Philippine police said Malabed was on official travel when the crash occurred. 'His untimely passing is a profound loss to the PNP, where he served with honor, integrity, and dedication throughout his career,' the statement read. Sarah Lee Best, also a lawyer at the Wilkinson Stekloff LPP in Washington D.C., was on the plane. Daniel Solomon, her husband of ten years, described her to the Washington Post as a hard worker who was generous with kind gestures. 'I just can't honestly imagine going through the rest of my life without her,' Solomon told the Post. 'She really touched the lives of anybody who got to know her.' With additional reporting by Simmone Shah Contact us at letters@
