DC plane crash: American Airlines pilot and helicopter crew member named
DC plane crash: American Airlines pilot and helicopter crew member named
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The pilots and youngest victims killed in the tragic Washington DC plane crash have been named. Sixty-seven people are believed to have died after the American Airlines passenger flight from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into the Black Hawk chopper while landing at Washington Reagan National Airport early on Thursday morning. It is the deadliest incident involving an aircraft in the United States since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Youth ice dance partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay were tonight identified as two of the youngest victims of the crash. The two children were seen as rising stars within the sport, and recently won gold medals at a regional ice dance final. They died along with their coach, Alexandr Kirsanov, and his wife while flying back from the US Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp. Sam Lilley, 28, was one of the two pilots aboard American Airlines flight 5342. His dad Timothy Lilley spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta to confirm his son had died, and said: "This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life".
Ryan O'Hara, from Georgia, was on board the Black Hawk military helicopter. He leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son. Officials have said the military helicopter was conducting a training exercise when the crash took place. A top Army aviation official said the Black Hawk crew was "very experienced" and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington. Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation said: "Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn't something new to either one of them. Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.".
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump bizarrely suggested "diversity hires" in air traffic control could be the cause of the crash. The president alleged, without evidence, that "people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities" had been recruited to the Federal Aviation Administration to manage air traffic. He said: "I do want to point out that various articles that appeared prior to my entering office. And here's one, the FAA's diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing.
