These are the known tragic victims of the horrific American Airlines plane crash near Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. At least 30 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage following the devastating midair collision in the US capital, which saw the mangled aircraft plunge into the freezing Potomac River. It has been confirmed no one travelling in both the plane and the chopper survived - and the identities of the victims are being disclosed to the media in stages. So far, The Mirror knows a group of figure skaters were killed, all from the same sports club they had been representing at a competition in Kansas. These include popular 13-year-old TikTok skating star Jinna Han, and sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, aged 14 and 11 respectively.
Russian figure skating champions and renowned athlete couple Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, also lost their lives. Tributes have also poured in for popular mum-of-two Wendy Jo Shaffer, described by her partner an "unwavering spirit." He added: "I'm still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth.". Former Miss Kansas, Kiah Duggins, was also among the victims. She had been visiting her mother in Wichita, Kansas, and was returning to Washington DC, where she worked for Civil Rights Corps.
Inna Volyanskaya, who performed on Disney on Ice, died, the Mirror reported today. The 59-year-old entertainer was renowned for her roles as Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel in Disney on Ice. Her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, spoke about her legacy, saying: "She was one of the best skaters I've ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate.". The plane, Flight 5342, was on its final approach to Reagan Washington National Airport when the tragic accident occurred. Debris from the collision rained down over the river and nearby areas.
Investigators are now piecing together the events leading up to the catastrophic incident. According to our sister title, the Mirror US, the confirmed victims so far include;. Brielle Beyer. Rescue efforts continued into Thursday evening with more victims likely to be identified. However, speaking on Thursday, John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, said: "We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.
Without evidence, Donald Trump blamed air traffic controllers, the helicopter pilots and Democratic policies at federal agencies. He claimed that the FAA was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.". The US President, 78, also made an awkward joke about the site of the Washington DC plane crash. Speaking at the press conference at the White House, only three miles away, he said: "I have a plan to visit – not the site. Because what – you tell me. What's the site? Water. We're going to go swimming?".
Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training exercise. A complex investigation is ongoing into the cause of the disaster. But one aviation safety expert told reporters he believes flying at night and over water could have been factors. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who famously landed a passenger plane on the Hudson River in New York City in 2009, has shared his taken on the tragedy.
It happened in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, around three miles south of the White House and the Capitol. Federal investigators told reporters they would not speculate on the cause and stressed probes like these can take months. National Transportation Safety Board investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane, agency spokesperson Peter Knudson said. They were at the agency's labs for evaluation.
The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching miles of the Potomac, Mr Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the plane was making a normal approach when "the military aircraft came into the path" of the jet. One air traffic controller was responsible for coordinating helicopter traffic and arriving and departing planes when the collision happened, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Those duties are often divided between two people, but the airport typically combines the roles at 9.30pm, once traffic begins to slow down. On Wednesday, the tower supervisor directed that they be combined earlier. The report said: "The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic." A person familiar with the matter, however, said the tower staffing that night was at a normal level.
