12-year-old cancer survivor and Harvard graduate among victims of Washington plane crash

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12-year-old cancer survivor and Harvard graduate among victims of Washington plane crash
12-year-old cancer survivor and Harvard graduate among victims of Washington plane crash

Figure skating young sisters and a famed couple in the sport have been identified among 67 killed in the American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter crash in Washington, DC.

More than 30 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River after the Thursday night mid-air crash, including multiple figure skaters of all ages, accolades and fame, and American Airlines Flight 5342 crew.

The recovery operation continued on Thursday to find the remaining bodies. Here are the victims who have been identified so far:

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Plane crash victims who have been identified include (left to right) flight attendant Ian Epstein, first officer Samuel Lilley, flight attendant Danasia Elder and pilot Jonathan Campos

Everly and Alydia Livingston

Washington Figure Skating Club members and sisters Everly, 14, and Alydia Livingston, 11, died in the crash, according to the Skating Club of Boston.

Just days before the crash, the American sisters participated in the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, where the doomed American Eagle flight operated by American Airlines departed from.

USE PENDING BEING OFFICIALLY ID’D - TO GO WITH: DC plane crash victims -- Everly & Alydia Livingston - social media

Everly and Alydia Livingston were at the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas (Picture: @jeffreychensk8/Instagram)

In their last social media post, they wrote: ‘If you look closely at Alydia’s badge. We were born ready for this but is ready for this much Livingston at Nationals?’

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov

This photo taken on February 24, 1996 shows Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov performing at the Pairs event at the Figure Skating Championship finals in Paris. Russian figure skating couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 world pairs title, were on board a US passenger jet that crashed in Washington on January 29, 2025, Russian news agencies reported. The state TASS and RIA news agencies, both citing a source, reported on Thursday the pair were on board the crashed plane. (Photo by Pierre VERDY / AFP) (Photo by PIERRE VERDY/AFP via Getty Images)

Photo taken on February 24, 1996 shows Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov performing at the Pairs event at the Figure Skating Championship finals (Picture: Getty Images)

Famous Russian skating couple Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, also lost their lives as the aircrafts fell into the river.

The married couple also attended the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.

Their deaths were confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

‘Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed,’ said Peskov.

‘There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash.’

Kiah Duggins

Kiah Duggins, a victim of the Washington DC plane crash.

Harvard Law School graduate Kiah Duggins was on her way back home to Washington DC visiting her mum in Wichita when the plane crashed (Picture: Facebook)

Civil rights campaigner Kiah Duggins, 30, had visited her mum in her hometown of Wichita, Kansas, and was flying back to Washington DC where she worked for the Civil Rights Corps.

She had also competed in a beauty pageant before graduating from Harvard Law School and worked as a White House intern for former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn Initiative, MailOnline reports.

Kiah Duggins who died in the Washington DC plane crash.

Kiah Duggins worked as a White House intern for Michelle Obama’s education project Let Girls Learn (Picture: Civil Rights Corps)

Brielle Beyer and Justyna Magdalena

Daughter and mum duo Brielle Beyer, 12, and Justyna Magdalena, 42, were on board the passenger jet, heartbroken dad and husband Andy Beyer confirmed.

He said his text messages were not going through following the crash.

REST IN PEACE: A newly shared photo shows American Airlines crash victims, 12-year-old Brielle Beyer and her mother, 42-year-old Justyna Beyer. Here are the names of the victims who have been identified: https://www.wfaa.com/.../507-9f932fd1-7dc4-44be-b2f2... Credit: Andrew Beyer See less

Husband and father of Justyna Magdalena and Brielle Beyer, 12, paid tribute to his loved ones who died in the crash (Picture: Andrew Beyer)

He told ABC News: ‘We couldn’t get text messages through… and I knew.’

Brielle had survived cancer when she was just four months old and her dream was to become a professional ice skater.

‘She was such a fighter in everything she did … making that team was one of her life goals, and she achieved it,’ he said.

Inna Volyanskaya

Coach Inna Volyanskaya

Inna Volyanskaya performed on Disney on Ice and was serving as an ice skating coach (Picture: @volyanskayainna/Instagram)

Another famed figure skater, Inna Volyanskaya, 59, was identified by Virginia Rep Suhas Subramanyam.

Volyanskaya performed on Disney on Ice as Ariel, Princess Aurora, Cinderalla and belle, and competed for the Soviet Union, her biography states.

She was also serving as an ice skating coach in Ashburn.

‘She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate,’ her ex-husband Ross Lansel told News4.

‘Just knowing the impact she made to all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul, and just I wish all those kids that she taught, just my condolences, and I wish them — all my prayers go out to them.’

Spencer and Christine Lane

14342131 US figure skating team member Spencer Lane’s haunting final post from inside doomed plane Spencer Lane Instagram - profile picture https://www.instagram.com/spencerskates26/

US figure skating team member Spencer Lane made a haunting final post from inside the doomed plane (Picture: @spencerskates26/Instagram)

Spencer, 16, and his mother Christine Lane attended the National Development Camp which was held along with the ice skating championships.

They were confirmed fead by The Skating Club of Boston.

Spencer had last uploaded a photo on social media around 7pm on Wednesday showing the passenger jet taxiing at Wichita Airport and captioned it ‘ICT -> DCA’, referring to Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Full list of identified victims in American Airlines and Black Hawk crash

Everly and Alydia Livingston (figure skaters)

Evgenia Shishkova (figure skater)

Vadim Naumov (figure skater)

Spencer and Christine Lane (skater and mother)

Samuel Lilley (first officer)

Jonathan Campos (captain)

Ian Epstein – (flight attendant) 

Danasia Elder (flight attendant) 

Ryan O’Hara (Black Hawk crew)

Asra Hussain 

Inna Volyanskaya

Jinna and Jin Han

Michael Stovall 

Jesse Pitcher 

Wendy Shaffer 

Sean Kay 

Angela Yang 

Alexandr Kisanov 

Grace Maxwell 

Kiah Duggins

Andrew Eaves (Black Hawk Crew)

Samuel Lilley

Samuel Lilley

First Officer Samuel Lilley is among the victims (Picture: Facebook)

One of two pilots who were killed has been identified First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28.

Lilley’s father Timothy Lilley, a pilot himself, said he was in New York for work when he found out his son was in the doomed cockpit.

‘This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,’ he told FOX 5 Atlanta.

Timothy said he first could not believe the flight was his son’s, but that Sam did not check in as he normally did.

‘I was a helicopter pilot in the Army for 20 years. In the ’90s, I used to fly in and out of the Pentagon regularly, and I can tell you if you are flying on the route over the Potomac and wearing night vision goggles, it’s going to be very hard to see that plane,’ said Timothy.

‘If you’re not wearing the goggles, then you might have a chance.’

Jonathan Campos

Jonathan Campos (PILOT) Potomac Plane Crash - VICTIMS Transport Secretary Sean Duffy claims a horror mid-air plane crash over Washington DC was ’preventable’, while American Airlines appeared to blame the pilot of a military helicopter that strayed into its path.Sixty passengers, four crew, and three US Army personnel are believed to be dead after the collision 400ft over the Potomac River.The American Airlines plane smashed into a US Army Black Hawk helicopter as it came into land at Reagan National Airport just before 9pm on Wednesday.Passengers aboard Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, included members of the US figure skating team who were returning from the US Figure Skating Championships.The aircraft collided in a huge fireball that was visible on dashcams of cars driving on highways that snake past the airport, and crashed into the Potomac River.The helicopter was flying a training sortie and cut through the airspace from the opposite direction under cover of darkness, with both aircraft seemingly unaware of the other’s presence.

Pilot Jonathan Campos was among the victims

Another pilot has been identified as Captain Jonathan Campos, 34.

Campos’ uncle, Hector Campos, told the Daily Mail he confirmed the news of the death and ‘we are in complete shock’.

‘He loved it,’ Hector said of Jonathan and his career in aviation.

Ian Epstein

Ian Epstein

Flight attendant Ian Epstein is among the crash victims (Picture: Facebook)

One of two flight attendants on the plane operated by American Airlines has been identified as Ian Epstein, 52.

Epstein was based out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.

‘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,’ wrote his wife Debi Epstein, 58, on Facebook.

‘Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC. We will update when plans are made.’

Danasia Elder

Danasia Elder Pilot and First Officer of doomed jet in DC plane crash are revealed as Jonathan Campos and Samuel Lilley The pilots of the American Eagle jet in the mid-air crash horror over Washington DC are Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. And both flight attendants who were on that tragic flight have been revealed as Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder. Newly-engaged Lilley, 29, was months away from being promoted to captain in a career that he adored, his father Timothy told us in an exclusive interview. Doomed Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas ? carrying 60 passengers ? collided in a massive fireball with an Army Black Hawk helicopter 400ft above the Potomac River as it was approaching Reagan National Airport just before 9pm Wednesday. And in a further terrible twist to the tragedy, Lilley Sr revealed he himself is a former Army Black Hawk pilot and had flown in the exact same area where the disaster happened. ’Samuel was in the prime of his life. He was engaged to a beautiful, wonderful girl and we were all excited about her joining the family,’ he said. Timothy, a former Army warrant officer who is now a private jet pilot, was at Teterboro Airport, New Jersey, when the crash happened ? and is now in Washington. But he initially had no idea his beloved son w

Flight attendant Danasia Elder was killed in the crash

Another flight attendant has been named as Danasia Elder.

‘RIP Danasia Brown,’ one of her friends wrote on Facebook, referencing her married surname.

‘Never thought I would see those letters beside ya name.’ 

The bodies of all three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter have been recovered and sent to Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Ryan O’Hara of Georgia was one of the crew members who has been identified. The other two have not been named.

Several of the victims were former students of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia.

Elizabeth Baker

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