Thirty of the 67 individuals who perished in the tragic collision between a military helicopter and a commercial aircraft in Washington, D.C., have been identified.
Among the deceased are figure skating sisters Everly, aged 14, and 11-year-old Alydia Livingston, as well as Asra Hussain, whose husband had clung to the hope of her rescue from the water mere hours after the incident.
The collision occurred at 8:47 p.m. ET on January 29, involving a PSA Airlines plane, operated by American Airlines, and a Black Hawk helicopter. A U.S. military official reported that the helicopter was carrying three soldiers on a training mission at the time of the accident. Flight 5342 had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport for landing when the two aircraft collided. The wreckage, which included 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the plane, fell into the Potomac River.
A confirmed list of victims is beginning to take shape, including 26-year-old Asra Hussain. Her husband, Hamaad Raza, informed WUSA9 that he had been in communication with her just minutes prior to the crash.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak, that’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God,” Raza expressed to reporters. “She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes.”
Following that message, subsequent texts from her went unanswered, indicating that something was gravely amiss. “That’s when I realized something was up,” he recounted.
Among those confirmed deceased at the time of this report are Spencer and Christine Lane, Grace Maxwell, Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov, Jinna and Jin Han, Asra Hussain, First Officer Samuel Lilley, Captain Jonathan Campos, and flight attendants Danasia Elder and Ian Epstein.
The Black Hawk crew members who tragically lost their lives include Ryan O’Hara, 40-year-old Mark Stovall, and 30-year-old Jesse Pitcher. Additional individuals identified in this unfortunate incident are 59-year-old Inna Volyanskaya, Wendy Shaffer, Alexandr Kirsanov, Sean Kay, Angela Yang, Everly and Alydia Livingston, Natalya Gudin, and another person named Alexandr Kirsanov.
Further victims of this tragedy comprise Kiah Duggins, Elizabeth Keys, Sarah Lee Best, Black Hawk pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 12-year-old Brielle Beyer, and 42-year-old Justyna Beyer.
Among the deceased, Inna Volyanskaya was a prominent Disney on Ice skater and a former competitor for the Soviet Union. Her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, expressed his admiration in an interview with News4, stating, “She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate.”
Reflecting on her legacy, he remarked, “Just knowing the impact she made on all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul. I wish all those kids that she taught—just my condolences, and all my prayers go out to them.”
