Latest news with #RyanO'Hara
Techday NZ
05-05-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Likewize acquires Speedperform to boost AI tech support services
Likewize has acquired Speedperform, a provider of artificial intelligence-driven customer support solutions, expanding its reach and enhancing its technical support capabilities. By purchasing Speedperform, Likewize aims to strengthen and broaden its portfolio in device setup, troubleshooting, and optimisation, integrating Speedperform's AI technology and Microsoft GenAI tools into its offerings. According to details shared by the company, the integration will focus on delivering more intelligent self-service solutions, faster resolution times, and greater personalisation in the customer experience. Speedperform specialises in supporting clients in the telecom and technology sectors by developing software and creating support content that addresses complex support requirements. The company's customer base includes global brands across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. Established in 1997 and based in Dallas, Likewize supports over 250 million device issues per year, working with clients from the telecommunications, financial, and retail sectors. Its services cover product warranties, repairs, upgrades, and premium technical support, and it currently operates in more than 30 countries. Ryan O'Hara, Chief Executive Officer of Likewize, said, "This acquisition of Speedperform marks an exciting new chapter for Likewize as we continue to expand our capabilities and deliver cutting-edge solutions to our clients and their customers. Speedperform's expertise fits seamlessly with our strategic vision to make tech problems painless. Together, we'll be able to offer even more solutions to our clients while extending our reach into new markets." Thomas Thrane, Chief Executive Officer of Speedperform, stated, "This partnership with Likewize is fundamentally about delivering greater value and deeper support for our customers. It will enable our clients to support their customers at every stage of their tech's lifecycle—from buying their device, protecting and repairing it, to helping them upgrade when the time comes. Consumers typically use only around 40% of their device's full potential, so our goal is to help them get the most from their technology." The acquisition comes after private equity firm Genstar Capital became the majority shareholder in Likewize, backing the company's recent expansion initiatives. The company said Genstar Capital's support, combined with Speedperform's AI capabilities, would allow it to enhance customer experiences and help clients establish stronger connections with end users. Neither Likewize nor Speedperform disclosed the financial terms of the transaction. The agreement is expected to combine the resources and expertise of both companies to address a broader array of customer support challenges globally.
New York Times
05-02-2025
- General
- New York Times
A ‘Stellar Crew,' a ‘Tragic Accident' and a Black Hawk's Last Flight
Not long after Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara was killed in a fiery crash above the Potomac River last week, his parents said they received an offer from American Airlines to fly them over the accident site. But their pain was too raw to accept, said Gary O'Hara, his father. Besides, he and his wife, Mary, wanted to remember that route along the river, with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument glowing in the dark, as their son had described it. Again and again, Sergeant O'Hara, a Black Hawk helicopter crew chief, had told them that he loved flying around Washington, his father recalled: 'Dad, you can see everything because we're flying so low. You can see every detail. It's just spectacular.' It was on a night like that, in a moonless sky over a sparkling city on Jan. 29, that Sergeant O'Hara and the helicopter's two pilots were killed, now forever linked by the nation's worst aviation crash in nearly 25 years. For reasons still being investigated, the helicopter collided with a passenger plane carrying 64 people. Everyone died, including Sergeant O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga., a new father and, according to his parents, a mechanical genius; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, from Great Mills, Md., who had flown that route along the Potomac 'probably hundreds' of times, a friend said; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, 28, of Durham, N.C., who had hoped to become a doctor. President Trump has questioned how it was possible that the crew did not see the American Airlines plane, and his supporters have speculated whether the push for more women and minorities in the military might have played a role, with no evidence suggesting that. Sergeant O'Hara's father called the collision 'a terribly tragic accident' and wondered out loud why the air traffic control tower didn't order the helicopter to stop short of the plane and just hover. But he bristled at Captain Lobach's critics. 'That woman had all of Ryan's respect,' Mr. O'Hara said. 'He loved flying with her.' The two pilots and one crew chief aboard the Black Hawk were part of the 12th Aviation Battalion, a specialized group of about 24 helicopters with a classified mission: to evacuate key government officials from Washington in an emergency. The unit also routinely ferries V.I.P.s, including lawmakers. The night of the crash, the trio had been practicing the route that it would take to transport high-ranking officials in a national crisis, a path the crew had followed often. The crew was 'stellar when it comes to aviation,' said Ryan Falcone, a retired chief warrant officer 5 who served as the senior advisory pilot for the crew's battalion. Their mission was 'basically, is to keep the country running, even on its very worst day,' he said, adding: 'They have a dangerous job, and unforgiving job, and they understood that. But it's an important job, and they have to accomplish the mission.' The skies the crew navigated are extremely busy, with restricted air space over government buildings, planes flying in and out of four busy airports and helicopters crisscrossing the skies. And flying helicopters, Mr. Falcone said, is inherently dangerous. He said the battalion had a 'great safety record' but suffered a fatal crash in 2017, when a tail rotor malfunction caused a Black Hawk to crash-land on a Maryland golf course. On last week's flight, Mr. Eaves, the most experienced of the crew, was conducting Captain Lobach's annual proficiency evaluation. An up-and-coming officer, Captain Lobach had accrued more than 450 flight hours, her family said. Mr. Eaves knew the aircraft and airspace well — 'exactly the kind of pilot you wanted to be flying with,' said Mr. Falcone, who had flown with Mr. Eaves. Sergeant O'Hara, he added, was 'one of the smartest crew chiefs I ever flew with, who knew every part of the aircraft.' Sergeant O'Hara's father said his son had more than 1,000 flight hours. As crew chief, the sergeant would have sat behind the pilots, typically on the right side, watching out the side door as their third set of eyes. A trained mechanic, Sergeant O'Hara's main role was to handle everything except flying the aircraft, including managing passengers. The official findings of the crash investigation will not be released for months. Not that the cause matters to Gary O'Hara. No answers, he said on Tuesday through tears, will bring his son back. Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara Sergeant O'Hara, father of a 1-year-old son, had always wanted to fly Black Hawks, his parents said, but an eye impediment kept him from being a pilot. When he signed up for the Army as a high school senior, after doing the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, he picked Black Hawk mechanic as his military vocation — because 'it was cool, man,' his father said. His son could take anything apart and put it back together, Mr. O'Hara said, including the computers that his father, who worked in I.T., would leave in his playroom. The boy memorized Star Wars schematics on the Millennium Falcon and Death Star. In the Army, he turned that love on the Black Hawks, down to the right amount of torque needed to tighten every bolt. 'He could've been anything in life,' Mr. O'Hara said, but his son was set on the military after a group of R.O.T.C. Marines showed up at his eighth-grade graduation. 'He saw those soldiers, came home and told me, 'This is what I want to do.'' His parents were thrilled when he was assigned to Fort Belvoir in Virginia, twice, his father said. During the sergeant's tour in Afghanistan, his parents were worried sick. In Washington, his father thought, their son would be safe. Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach Captain Lobach, who played basketball at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., before transferring to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, also saw military service as a calling, her friends said. In 2021, she graduated from flight school to realize her dream, flying an Army Black Hawk. 'She was an aviator, not a female aviator,' said Warrant Officer 1 Jasmine Johnson, a North Carolina National Guard Apache helicopter pilot who was in the R.O.T.C. with Captain Lobach. 'We're all qualified and in the seat for a reason.' Captain Lobach was also a White House social aide, a highly selective ceremonial job that entailed helping award the Medal of Honor to service members and the Presidential Medal of Freedom to civilians, including to the designer Ralph Lauren. In October, she told her friend Celeste Walton that she was studying for the Medical College Admission Test and helping with a research project at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — all while finishing her last two prerequisites for medical school. Captain Lobach also had been planning her first trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with a friend, First Lt. Samantha Brown. On Jan. 29, Lieutenant Brown texted to say that she had bought the tickets. That evening, Captain Lobach's roommate texted Lieutenant Brown to say 'something terrible happened.' Lieutenant Brown frantically texted Captain Lobach. The messages would not go through. 'I had this horrible feeling it was going to be the worst,' Lieutenant Brown said. 'And it was.' Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves Mr. Eaves grew up in the tiny Brooksville, Miss., and had a wife and two children. Before becoming an Army pilot, he served in the Navy for 10 years, the military said. He was several years older than some of his classmates at Army flight school in Alabama and ended up coaching younger soldiers. 'He became the guy to look up to and learn from — a big brother,' said Aaron Aguirre, who attended flight school with Mr. Eaves. 'He always carried that wisdom and experience.' In recent years on his personal Facebook page, the pilot posted photos of flying over Washington. He also posted about Black Hawk crews that died in crashes — once in 2024, twice in 2023 — marking the crew's insignia with a black bar through it. To get away from the stress, Mr. Eaves bought a hobby farm in Virginia about five hours from Fort Belvoir and met a real estate agent, Keith Gore, there while shopping for the property. Mr. Gore said the pilot would visit with his friends and family to hunt deer and turkey, work on the cabin and unwind. The day before the crash, Mr. Gore texted Mr. Eaves, and asked him if he was working nights. Back and forth, Mr. Eaves replied. Night tomorrow. When Mr. Gore heard of the crash, he checked in: Are you OK? Just let me know you're OK. Mr. Gore said the men texted nearly every day, about Mr. Eaves's pursuit of a bachelor's degree at Liberty University, or the hot dogs the men would wager on football games. He said Mr. Eaves would always respond. Until this time. Soon after, Mr. Eaves's wife, Carrie, posted a memorial insignia of a battalion nicknamed 'The Wings of Freedom' as her Facebook profile picture. This time, the unit was her husband's. The memorial On Tuesday, Gary and Mary O'Hara left the house they had bought outside of Savannah, Ga., on five acres so their son and his younger sister, Taryn, might build houses on it. They were headed to Washington to attend a memorial service at Fort Belvoir for Sergeant O'Hara and his crew. Their families also were invited to go to the White House on Thursday, his father said. On a plane to Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington, Mr. O'Hara said he could see the passenger in the row ahead of him watching a Harry Potter film. He wept. Mr. O'Hara had a tradition of taking his children to see Harry Potter films on Thanksgiving. Watching movies together was their thing. When his son was little, they would always hold hands in the theater. 'Am I going to tear up every time I see something that reminds me of him?' Mr. O'Hara wondered. 'Will every memory be a sad one?' The last photos Sergeant O'Hara sent to his father were from a trip that he and his son, Wyatt, took to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, near Dulles. They went to see the space shuttle — and the helicopters. In the past week, so many moments have reminded Mr. O'Hara of what he told his son when he joined the Army. 'I said, 'You know, just promise I'm never going to be one of those parents that gets that knock on the door and has to see a couple of soldiers delivering a note about you,'' Mr. O'Hara said. 'And he just laughed, just like, 'Oh, Dad! No, no, no, no.'' As his voice cracked, the father added, 'That's the only promise to me he never kept.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 Soldiers Killed in Tragic Midair Collision in DC Identified; Army Withholds Third Name
Two of the three soldiers who were killed Wednesday when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger airline have been identified by service and public officials, but the Army on Friday withheld the name of the third service member amid online speculation of the identity. Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, were both identified by the governors of their home states. The name of the third soldier, a captain, killed in the crash will not be released by the Army at the request of the family, a service official familiar with the matter told on Friday. All three were with Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Read Next: Travel Reimbursements for Troops to Get Abortions, Fertility Treatments Nixed by Pentagon "Mississippi is mourning the loss of Brooksville native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, who was killed in last night's accident at Reagan National Airport," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves posted on X, adding that he and his wife "are praying for the victims' families and first responders who are assisting." O'Hara graduated from Parkview High School in Georgia and was involved in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, according to local news reports. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our own," a now-inaccessible social media post from the Marine Corps JROTC program said, according to NBC affiliate WYFF 4. "Class of 2014, former cadet Ryan O'Hara was the crew chief on the Black Hawk involved in last night's crash in D.C." Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also offered a message to O'Hara's family on social media. "We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Ryan O'Hara," Kemp said on X. "This terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short." On Friday afternoon, the Department of Defense released information on O'Hara and Eaves. Eaves and the unnamed captain were both identified as "duty status-whereabouts unknown." O'Hara was "deceased pending positive identification," per the Pentagon. The Associated Press reported Thursday that the bodies of all three soldiers had been recovered, and it wasn't immediately clear why some of the deceased were identified as whereabouts unknown. Eaves served in the Navy from August 2007 to September 2017, then transitioned to being a UH-60 pilot for the Army, where he served until his death, the Department of Defense statement said. O'Hara was a UH-60 repairer starting in 2014. He deployed to Afghanistan for six months in 2017. Jonathan Koziol, the chief of staff of the Army's Aviation Directorate and a retired chief warrant 5, told reporters on Thursday afternoon that the instructor pilot was overseeing an aviator undergoing a mandatory training evaluation; they had approximately 1,500 combined flight hours. The whole crew was very familiar with the flight path. The Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 around 9 p.m. Wednesday evening. The plane was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with 60 passengers and four crew members on board. D.C. officials said Thursday that there were no survivors. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump made unfounded claims Thursday morning that diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, practices were, in part, somehow to blame for the tragedy. "We will have the best and brightest in every position possible," Hegseth said during a White House briefing Thursday. "Whether it's flying Black Hawks and flying airplanes, leading platoons or in government. The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department, and we need the best and brightest, whether it's in our air traffic control or whether it's in our generals, or whether it's throughout the government." Unfounded online rumors and conspiracy theories emerged about who the third crew member of the Black Hawk helicopter was and incorrectly named Jo Ellis, a transgender pilot and chief warrant officer 2 who is a member of the Virginia National Guard. "There were no Virginia National Guard personnel on board the Black Hawk that collided with the jetliner Wednesday evening," a Guard spokesperson told Ellis is still serving with the Virginia National Guard. Ellis released a video on Facebook as a proof of life on Friday and to dispel the false narratives and rumors. "I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false," Ellis said. "It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don't deserve that. I don't deserve this. And I hope that you all know that I'm alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors." Related: 3 Army Soldiers Killed in Tragic Collision with Passenger Plane Near DC Airport
CBS News
31-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
As D.C. plane crash victims are identified, stories emerge of a new dad, a law professor, champion skating coaches and rising stars
World champion skaters, a consultant who just moved to the D.C. area, a crew chief who was a new dad, champion figure skating coaches and rising skating stars were among those killed in the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C. Sixty passengers and four Charlotte-based crew members were on American Eagle flight 5342, en route from Wichita, Kansas, and three crew members were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter when they collided a little before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Investigators are still working to learn what went wrong on a clear evening when the passenger plane was just a few hundred feet from landing at Reagan Washington National Airport. Officials said there were no survivors — and details about the 67 victims began to emerge. The passengers included several young figure skaters chasing their dream of becoming world-class competitors. The athletes were returning from the National Development Camp, which was held in connection with the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. The Skating Club of Boston confirmed they lost six people in the deadly crash, including two rising stars in the figure skating world, their mothers, and two star coaches. We are also learning more about others aboard the flight, as well as the crew of the Black Hawk. Here are some of their stories. Ryan O'Hara Ryan O'Hara, 29, was the crew chief on the Black Hawk helicopter. He grew up in the Atlanta area and was a new father, leaving behind a wife and 1-year-old baby boy. His father, Gary O'Hara, told CBS News that Ryan joined his high school's ROTC as a cadet and enlisted when he was 18, specifically choosing the Army because it offered him the opportunity to work on Black Hawk helicopters. After a tour of duty in Afghanistan, he was assigned to Fort Belvoir in Virginia, just outside the nation's capital. "I was worried when he was in Afghanistan," his father said in an emotional interview. "You let your guard down … when he's on American soil." He described the crew of the Black Hawk as "probably the most respected pilots that Ryan had ever flown with." "He trusted them with his life," Gary O'Hara said. He said he began to worry immediately after seeing news of the crash Wednesday night. "My wife was like, 'No, it's not him,'" he said. "But my heart just broke." Andrew Eaves Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, a native of Brooksville, was killed in the collision. His wife, Carrie Eaves, confirmed in a Facebook post that he was one of the pilots of the Black Hawk helicopter. "We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve," she wrote. Spencer Lane and Christine Lane Skating phenom Spencer Lane, 16, and his mom Christine Lane were on their way home to Rhode Island from the development camp. Douglas Lane spoke to Rhode Island station WPRI after the crash that claimed his wife and son, and called Spencer a "force of nature." "In his home club in Boston, he was just loved by everyone from the adults running to club to the smallest skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics, they all just adored him," he said. He described his wife Christine as a creative person with a passion for graphic design and photography. "For Christine, just the amount of people from the community in Rhode Island I've already heard from today that she's touched," he said. "Whether it was screening them to adopt the dog that they loved or helping them with a summer project or whatever, she was just one of those people that could just kind of plug in anywhere, connect with people and build a real bond." Jinna Han and Jin Han Another skater from the Boston club,13-year-old Jinna Han, was killed in the crash along with her mother, Jin. They were from Mansfield, Massachusetts, CBS News Boston reported. Jinna had also been participating in the National Development Camp, an invitation-only event that brings together promising young athletes for training sessions led by some of the sport's biggest names. "Jinna, just a wonderful kid. Wonderful parents. Great competitor. Loved by all," said Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe. "I don't think we're ever going to forget them. That is for certain. How we commemorate them here we haven't gotten to that point to discuss, but we certainly will. Just definitely very important and well loved members of our community," he said. Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova Star coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were also returning from the development camp. The Russian-born pair — who won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship — had been coaching at the Skating Club of Boston. They also competed in the Olympics twice — in 1992 in Albertville, France, where they placed fifth, and in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway, where they finished fourth. The couple's 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, currently competes with Team USA. Zeghibe said Max had finished fourth in the senior men's event in Wichita and returned home on Monday with Zeghibe. "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement Thursday. Alexandr Kirsanov A coach from the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, Alexandr Kirsanov, 46, was confirmed as a victim of the crash, according to the University of Delaware and Kirsanov's employer, Black Bear Sports Group. He was also traveling back from the development camp. "In his many years with Ice World, Sasha coached, mentored, and made such an incredible impact not only on our young skaters but on so many who knew and loved him," Black Bear Sports Group founder and CEO Murry Gunty said in a statement. Olivia Ter Olivia Ter, 12, a youth figure skater from Prince George's County, Maryland, was aboard the flight at the time of the crash, according to the county's Parks and Recreation Department, CBS News Baltimore reported. She was returning with other skaters from the National Development Camp and aspired to qualify for a spot on Team USA in the world championships. "The impact of Olivia's life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed," said Bill Tyler, the director of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for the Prince George's Department of Parks and Recreation. Asra Hussain Raza Asra Hussain Raza was 26 years old and had recently moved to the Washington, D.C., area with her husband for a consulting job. She was flying home from a work trip to Kansas, her father-in-law, Hashim Raza, told CBS News. She was a graduate of the University of Indiana and Columbia University, her father-in-law said. Kiah Duggins Howard University law professor Kiah Duggins was killed in the crash, university president Ben Vison confirmed Friday, CBS News Baltimore reported. Duggins was also a civil rights attorney with the nonprofit Civil Rights Corps, according to a profile on the organization's website. She earned her bachelor's from Wichita State University and won the Miss Agusta and the Miss Bulter County beauty pageants in 2014 and 2015, making it to the top 10 finalists in the Miss Kansas pageants those years, according to the executive director of the Miss Kansas Organization. Elizabeth Anne Keys Elizabeth Anne Keys, a 33-year-old woman from Cincinnati, was a graduate of Tufts University and Georgetown University Law Center, CBS affiliate WKRC reported. Keys was valedictorian of her class at Madeira High School in Cincinnati in 2010. "She was just such an outstanding student, outstanding young lady, just the kind of person that we need many, many more of," former Madeira principal Ray Spicher told the station. "What a quality young lady she was, a leader around school, involved in all kinds of activities." Four local union members The plane crash victims included four members of the Steamfitters Local 602 union, which represents workers in heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and process piping industries in the D.C. metro area. The union did not release their names, but said in a statement, "Our focus now is on providing support and care to the families of our Brothers. ... We will share more details as they becomes available, including a nationwide UA relief effort for the families. These members will be forever in our hearts, and may God bless them and their loved ones."
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Stories emerge of victims killed in D.C. plane crash
World champion skaters, a consultant who just moved to the D.C. area, a crew chief who was a new dad, champion figure skating coaches and rising skating stars were among those killed in the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C. Sixty passengers and four Charlotte-based crew members were on American Eagle flight 5342, en route from Wichita, Kansas, and three crew members were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter when they collided a little before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Investigators are still working to learn what went wrong on a clear evening when the passenger plane was just a few hundred feet from landing at Reagan Washington National Airport. Officials said there were no survivors — and details about the 67 victims began to emerge. The passengers included several young figure skaters chasing their dream of becoming world-class competitors. The athletes were returning from the National Development Camp, which was held in connection with the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. The Skating Club of Boston confirmed they lost six people in the deadly crash, including two rising stars in the figure skating world, their mothers, and two star coaches. We are also learning more about others aboard the flight, as well as the crew of the Black Hawk. Here are some of their stories. Ryan O'Hara Ryan O'Hara, 29, was the crew chief on the Black Hawk helicopter. He grew up in the Atlanta area and was a new father, leaving behind a wife and 1-year-old baby boy. His father, Gary O'Hara, told CBS News that Ryan joined his high school's ROTC as a cadet and enlisted when he was 18, specifically choosing the Army because it offered him the opportunity to work on Black Hawk helicopters. After a tour of duty in Afghanistan, he was assigned to Fort Belvoir in Virginia, just outside the nation's capital. "I was worried when he was in Afghanistan," his father said in an emotional interview. "You let your guard down … when he's on American soil." He described the crew of the Black Hawk as "probably the most respected pilots that Ryan had ever flown with." "He trusted them with his life," Gary O'Hara said. He said he began to worry immediately after seeing news of the crash Wednesday night. "My wife was like, 'No, it's not him,'" he said. "But my heart just broke." Andrew Eaves Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, a native of Brooksville, was killed in the collision. His wife, Carrie Eaves, confirmed in a Facebook post that he was one of the pilots of the Black Hawk helicopter. "We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve," she wrote. Spencer Lane and Christine Lane Skating phenom Spencer Lane, 16, and his mom Christine Lane were on their way home to Rhode Island from the development camp. Douglas Lane spoke to Rhode Island station WPRI after the crash that claimed his wife and son, and called Spencer a "force of nature." "In his home club in Boston, he was just loved by everyone from the adults running to club to the smallest skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics, they all just adored him," he said. He described his wife Christine as a creative person with a passion for graphic design and photography. "For Christine, just the amount of people from the community in Rhode Island I've already heard from today that she's touched," he said. "Whether it was screening them to adopt the dog that they loved or helping them with a summer project or whatever, she was just one of those people that could just kind of plug in anywhere, connect with people and build a real bond." Jinna Han and Jin Han Another skater from the Boston club,13-year-old Jinna Han, was killed in the crash along with her mother, Jin. They were from Mansfield, Massachusetts, CBS News Boston reported. Jinna had also been participating in the National Development Camp, an invitation-only event that brings together promising young athletes for training sessions led by some of the sport's biggest names. "Jinna, just a wonderful kid. Wonderful parents. Great competitor. Loved by all," said Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe. "I don't think we're ever going to forget them. That is for certain. How we commemorate them here we haven't gotten to that point to discuss, but we certainly will. Just definitely very important and well loved members of our community," he said. Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova Star coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were also returning from the development camp. The Russian-born pair — who won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship — had been coaching at the Skating Club of Boston. They also competed in the Olympics twice — in 1992 in Albertville, France, where they placed fifth, and in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway, where they finished fourth. The couple's 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, currently competes with Team USA. Zeghibe said Max had finished fourth in the senior men's event in Wichita and returned home on Monday with Zeghibe. "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement Thursday. Alexandr Kirsanov A coach from the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, Alexandr Kirsanov, 46, was confirmed as a victim of the crash, according to the University of Delaware and Kirsanov's employer, Black Bear Sports Group. He was also traveling back from the development camp. "In his many years with Ice World, Sasha coached, mentored, and made such an incredible impact not only on our young skaters but on so many who knew and loved him," Black Bear Sports Group founder and CEO Murry Gunty said in a statement. Olivia Ter Olivia Ter, 12, a youth figure skater from Prince George's County, Maryland, was aboard the flight at the time of the crash, according to the county's Parks and Recreation Department, CBS News Baltimore reported. She was returning with other skaters from the National Development Camp and aspired to qualify for a spot on Team USA in the world championships. "The impact of Olivia's life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed," said Bill Tyler, the director of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for the Prince George's Department of Parks and Recreation. Asra Hussain Raza Asra Hussain Raza was 26 years old and had recently moved to the Washington, D.C., area with her husband for a consulting job. She was flying home from a work trip to Kansas, her father-in-law, Hashim Raza, told CBS News. She was a graduate of the University of Indiana and Columbia University, her father-in-law said. Kiah Duggins Howard University law professor Kiah Duggins was killed in the crash, university president Ben Vison confirmed Friday, CBS News Baltimore reported. Duggins was also a civil rights attorney with the nonprofit Civil Rights Corps, according to a profile on the organization's website. She earned her bachelor's from Wichita State University and won the Miss Agusta and the Miss Bulter County beauty pageants in 2014 and 2015, making it to the top 10 finalists in the Miss Kansas pageants those years, according to the executive director of the Miss Kansas Organization. Elizabeth Anne Keys Elizabeth Anne Keys, a 33-year-old woman from Cincinnati, was a graduate of Tufts University and Georgetown University Law Center, CBS affiliate WKRC reported. Keys was valedictorian of her class at Madeira High School in Cincinnati in 2010. "She was just such an outstanding student, outstanding young lady, just the kind of person that we need many, many more of," former Madeira principal Ray Spicher told the station. "What a quality young lady she was, a leader around school, involved in all kinds of activities." Four local union members The plane crash victims included four members of the Steamfitters Local 602 union, which represents workers in heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and process piping industries in the D.C. metro area. The union did not release their names, but said in a statement, "Our focus now is on providing support and care to the families of our Brothers. ... We will share more details as they becomes available, including a nationwide UA relief effort for the families. These members will be forever in our hearts, and may God bless them and their loved ones." This story will be updated with additional information as it becomes available. New details emerge about military helicopter involved in midair collision Commercial plane crashes midair with military helicopter near Reagan National Airport Officials provide update on midair collision near Reagan National Airport outside D.C.
