Latest news with #Brielle
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Father who lost his wife and child in DC midair collision details how he ‘knew something was wrong'
What was meant to be a joyful reunion between Andy Beyer and his wife and daughter — who were headed home on American Airlines Flight 5342 — turned into an unfathomable tragedy. Andy Beyer was waiting in his car near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29 with his son when he learned that his wife, Justyna Beyer, and their 12-year-old daughter, Brielle Beyer's, plane had been in a midair collision with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.. The incident ultimately killed 67 people. The mother and daughter — a figure skater — were on the D.C.-bound flight from Wichita, Kansas. In a recent interview with CNN, the husband and father of two described his grief in such a way that the show's host, Kaitlan Collins, was brought to tears. 'I go through these moments of extreme sadness and tears, and then I get flat and numb,' Andy Beyer explained at the top of the interview. 'And then I feel guilty that I'm not just crying all the time.' His voice wavered at moments as he spoke through tears to recall the night he and his son drove to pick up Justyna Beyer and Brielle, just as they had countless times before. Parked near the airport, the family exchanged texts in the moments leading up to their expected landing — routine messages filled with anticipation. But then, something changed. 'The tracker said 'landed,' and texts went from blue to green,' he explained. 'And then fire trucks started going by. And at that point, I knew something was wrong." Andy Beyer got into contact with someone who was able to confirm that the plane crashed, and then he had to deliver the news to his son. 'He came into the front seat with me,' Andy Beyer said. 'He let out a really long cry. He just said, 'No!' You know? It really hurt. That's how we found out before anything was really official. But we already knew.' Andy Beyer described Brielle as 'the most amazing gift I could have asked for,' a daughter who was bright and eager to learn. 'She was the dream girl from the moment that I met her, and she just kept exceeding our expectations — from the time she was a baby to the time she was reading chapter books at age 3, to how she excelled in figure skating, made friendships, you know, better than my wife ever could,' he said. 'She was a social butterfly, smiled in the smallest moments. She was just a joy and a gift. We never forgot that. We soaked it all in.' In Brielle's short life, she overcame incredible challenges. When she was 4 months old, she was diagnosed with cancer. 'That was hard because that was like waking up to a nightmare. But at least there was hope then, you know?' Andy Beyer said. 'And we went through so many cycles of kind of like loss and then relief — you know, you get a bad result, and then there was still hope. And then when she finally was more or less clear, you know, we just had this sense of relief. And so for this to happen after that — we just didn't think anything so bad could ever happen again. You know, that cancer was like one in 100,000. And, you know, plane travel is supposed to be safe.' Andy Beyer also spoke about Justyna Beyer, a devoted mother who filled their children's lives with warmth and magic. 'She was the most wonderful mother. She wanted to make every moment special for the kids — and she did,' he continued. 'She created those magic memories, you know, for Brielle too. And we thought those would sustain her into adulthood, that she'd be able to draw from them. So it's really sad that she doesn't get to do that. She deserved that. She was wonderful. She was my soulmate. I'm going to miss her so much.' In spite of his grief, Andy Beyer is focusing on sharing his wife and daughter's story so that they — and the other victims — will be remembered. "They deserve to have their story known to the world," he said. "I mean, everyone dies, right? And they live on in our memories. And I want people to have a memory of them so that they live on." For Andy Beyer, there is some solace in focusing on his son and experiencing support from his community. 'Everyone has stepped up in such a big way, and it is what is keeping me going,' he said. 'And I know I haven't been able to reach out to thank people, but I want to thank people for that — for everything that everyone is doing for me. It has been so helpful. It's the only thing keeping me going. They've been helping me with my son. He's been having play dates so he can live in the moment, and it's really been the thing that's saving us right now.' This article was originally published on
CBS News
05-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Colorado skating community honors victims of deadly Washington, D.C. mid-air crash
The bodies of all 67 people killed in last week's midair collision in Washington, D.C. have been recovered and, among them, included figure skaters, their coaches, and families. Some Colorado ice skaters had friends who died in that crash between a plane and a U.S. Army helicopter. The figure skating community in Colorado took part in a nationwide moment of silence Monday to honor the victims. Colorado's ice skating community joined hundreds of others from clubs across the country, taking center ice to remember those lost on Flight 5342. Skaters attended memorial events at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs and the South Suburban Sports Complex in Highlands Ranch. "This one is Brielle -- she's my age. This one's Gina and she's 13. This one's Everly and she's 13. This one's Olivia -- we don't really know her age. And this one's Everly's sister," 11-year-old Tara Groff said, pointing to flowers dedicated to those children who were killed. Tara said she last saw her friends after a national development camp, as they boarded their flight in Wichita, Kansas. "It was the same flight that was right next to me, and I was just realizing that they were on that flight," she said. "We are a family and we care so deeply about all of those in the skating community, so to lose some of our family, everybody wants to come together," Justin Dilion, the senior director of athlete high performance for U.S. Figure Skating, told CBS News Colorado's news partner KKTV. "It's just starting to set in. The last couple of days, I guess at U.S. Figure Skating, we have been in go mode to make sure we can do right by any possible way we can do right for the families." For others on the ice, like Elena Hayes, the victims were strangers, but still part of their community. "They were so, so talented," Hayes said. "They were coming back from a camp that all of us just wish we could go to. It's- not many people get to go. So they were the future." Now, the skating community is forever changed. "It's very hard to measure," Lisa May, president of the Denver, Colorado Figure Skating Club said at the Highlands Ranch memorial. "There are a lot of people who skate, but not very many who rise to the very top."
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
American Airlines Crash: Figure Skater, 12, Had Beaten Cancer
Originally appeared on E! Online A tragic revelation has been shared from one of the families affected by the American Airlines plane crash. After American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a helicopter mid-air on its way from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C. Jan. 29, the family of 12-year-old Brielle Beyer—a victim of the fatal event—shared that she had already endured cancer as a 4-month-old. 'She was just such a fighter in everything she did," Brielle's father Andrew Beyer told ABC News in an interview published Jan. 31. 'She just lived life to the fullest with everything.' Andrew—who also shared a 6-year-old son with wife Justyna, who was also a victim in the crash—emphasized how important figure skating was to his daughter's life. 'She was so proud of herself in figure skating for the progress she had made,' he added to the outlet. 'Making that team was one of her life goals. And she achieved it. And she was just so, so proud of herself.' More from E! Online Adult Star Emily Willis Allegedly Left "Permanently Disabled" After Rehab Stint for Ketamine Addiction NBC News' Chuck Todd Announces Sudden Exit After Nearly 20-Year Run Reese Witherspoon Reveals Actress Ended Their Friendship Over This "Pretty Bad" Faux Pas His wife had joined his daughter on a trip to Kansas for a skating camp, adding, 'Figure skating at that level, it's a lifestyle—I missed them.' The tragic deaths of Brielle and Justyna were not the only lives lost in the horrific plane crash—which left the American Airlines plane split in several pieces after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. There were 65 other victims in the disaster, including Christine Lane and her 16-year-old son Spencer Lane, the latter of whom shared an Instagram Story shortly before takeoff of the jet's wing, writing, 'ICT->DCA.' In addition to Spencer and Brielle, there were 12 other figure skaters aboard the American Airlines flight as they traveled back from a development camp hosted by the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Upon hearing about the lives lost, several world-renowned figure skaters spoke out—including Olympian Nancy Kerrigan. 'I just wanted to be here and be part of our community,' Kerrigan said through tears in a video statement. 'When you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it's an even bigger blow.' She added, 'We just wish them well—the families—the courage and the strength to make the next steps.' Keep reading for more details about the American Airlines crash... What Happened to the Passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342?Who Was Onboard American Airlines Flight 5342?Who Was Onboard the U.S. Army Helicopter Involved in the Collision?What Happens Next After Recover Efforts for American Airlines Flight 5342?Who Has Spoken Out After American Airlines Flight 5342 Crashed Into the Potomac River? For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Middletown High School graduate remembers wife and daughter killed in DC plane crash
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A man with Connecticut ties is mourning the loss of his wife and daughter, who were killed in the American Airlines plane crash in Washington, D.C. Andrew Beyer told ABC News that his wife, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, and daughter, Brielle, 12, were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas. What we know about the DC plane crash victims According to the superintendent of Middletown Public Schools, Andrew Beyer graduated from Middletown High School in 1998. Brielle was a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia and beat cancer when she was just 4 months old, Beyer said. Figure skating community mourns DC plane crash victims with Connecticut ties 'She was just such a fighter in everything she did,' Beyer said of his daughter in an interview with ABC News. 'She just lived life to the fullest with everything.' The couple also have a 6-year-old son, he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Days after 12th birthday, ice skater marking ‘best year of her life‘ dies in plane crash
Brielle Magdalena Beyer, a 12-year-old figure skater from Virginia, and her mother Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, were among those killed in Wednesday night's plane crash while flying back from Wichita to Washington DC. Brielle and Justyna lived in Aldie, an unincorporated area in Loudon County, Virginia, according to Loudon County newspaper The Burn. Brielle was a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia, along with several of the other young victims and their families. She had celebrated her 12th birthday about two weeks before the crash. The Skating Lesson, a social media account focused on figure skating, described Brielle as 'a spunky skater who was said to live on the ice.' An accomplished figure skater who dreamed of making it to the National Development Team and the camp held for team members, Brielle had medaled in every national qualifying event she attended in 2024. Shortly before leaving for Wichita, the young skater shared on Instagram that she had recently achieved her goal of successfully landing several triple jumps. '2024 was by far the best year of my life,' Brielle wrote on Instagram in December. 'I had so much fun with friends and family and achieved many new skills that I thought I would never be able to do! I reached my goal of becoming a NDT member and I am so grateful for that.' Brielle was coached by former Swedish national medalists Kalle Strid and Mikael Olaffson. The pair also coached Cory Haynos and Edward Zhou, who died in the crash . The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and the helicopter had three soldiers on board. Authorities said Thursday that the crash left no survivors. 'I lost my 3 little kids in that flight and their families,' Strid wrote on social media Thursday. 'I am not strong enough to talk to anyone today.' Together, Strid and Olaffson's students were known as the Nova Vikings, and the team skated at the MedStar Capitals IcePlex in Arlington, Virginia. There, Brielle developed close friendships on and off the ice with many other young figure skaters. IcePlex students shared a tribute video on Instagram Thursday, celebrating the skaters' relationship on and off the ice. In a joint statement with the Washington Figure Skating Club, the Skating Club of Northern Virginia said members of the club and community were 'devastated' by the plane crash. 'As we continue to process this tragedy, we honor the memories of those who we have lost—their passion for the sport, the friendships they cultivated, and the joy they brought to the ice,' WFSC and SCNV wrote. 'Their presence at our rinks and in our community is deeply felt, and their absence is indescribable.' Brielle and Justyna are survived by Brielle's father Andy Beyer and her brother Kallen Beyer, 6.
