What We Know So Far About the Victims of the Plane-Helicopter Crash Near D.C.

Sixty-seven people are presumed dead after the Jan. 29 collision between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)—the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. since 2001.

Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the commercial jet, an American Airlines flight operated by PSA Airlines under the American Eagle brand that departed from Wichita, Kans., while the helicopter, a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, had three personnel on board.

President Donald Trump said on Jan. 30 that no one survived the crash. As of Feb. 2, officials have recovered 55 bodies, some of which have been identified by friends and family in public tributes. “It is my belief that we’re going to recover everyone,” D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services chief John Donnelly said in a briefing.

Here’s what we know so far about the victims.

The helicopter crew

The three military personnel on the fateful helicopter were from the Army’s B Company, 12th Combat Aviation Battalion, based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a press conference on Jan. 30 said the victims were a captain, a staff sergeant, and a chief warrant officer conducting “a routine annual retraining of night flights.”

Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the Army's aviation directorate, told reporters that the crew members were “a very experienced group.” The instructor pilot, in command of the aircraft, had 1,000 flying hours, Koziol said, and the other pilot had 500 hours. The third soldier was a crew chief, who typically rides the back of the helicopter. 

Andrew Eaves

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves in a post on X named the chief warrant officer as Brooksville native Andrew Eaves. News outlets, including the Macon Beacon, reported Eaves’ death following the collision, which the Army has since confirmed. Per the Macon Beacon, Eaves “was a Central Academy graduate who grew up in the Brooksville area.” According to the Army, Eaves was a decorated soldier hailing from Great Mills, Md., and who had served in the U.S. Navy from August 2007 to September 2017, before becoming a UH-60 pilot for the Army.

Ryan O’Hara

The Army also identified the helicopter crew chief as 28-year-old Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara. He is survived by his wife and his 1-year-old son, according to CBS News. The Army said O’Hara, who was deployed to Afghanistan from March to August 2017, served as a UH-60 helicopter repairer in the Army since July 2014.

Rebecca Lobach

The Army did not initially release the name of the third crew member “at the request of the family” but later, alongside a public statement from the family, confirmed her name as Capt. Rebecca Lobach, of Durham, N.C. Lobach served as an aviation officer in the Army from July 2019 to January 2025. The statement from Lobach’s family said Lobach previously volunteered as a military social aide in the White House. “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca,” the family said. “She was a bright star in all our lives.”

The American Eagle flight crew

Jonathan Campos

Jonathan Campos, 34, has been identified as the captain of American Eagle flight 5342. Campos was a 2015 graduate of Aeronautical Science at the Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., which said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened” to learn of Campos’ passing.

Campos’ aunt, speaking to the New York Times, said the pilot had been working at PSA Airlines for eight years. Epic Flight Academy, where Campos earned his Certified Flight Instructor rating from, also issued a statement: “He was a skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying.”

Sam Lilley

Sam Lilley, 28, was Campos’ co-pilot, Lilley’s father Timothy confirmed to FOX 5 Atlanta. Timothy Lilley said his son began his flight training in 2019 and had been working with PSA Airlines for two years. Lilley was also engaged, his father said.

Ian Epstein

Ian Epstein was one of two flight attendants onboard American Eagle flight 5342. His family confirmed his death in a statement on Facebook. According to Charlotte, N.C.-based WSOC-TV, Epstein was a former Camping World salesman.

Danasia Elder

Danasia Elder, 34, was the other flight attendant, the Charlotte Observer reported. Elder’s brother-in-law described her as “very bright, very smart,” adding that “she was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.” Elder is survived by her husband and two children.

Members of the Skating Club of Boston

Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of Skating Club of Boston, said in a briefing that, “to the best of our knowledge,” 14 members of the figure skating community were passengers in the jet. The 14 were returning from a development camp held in Wichita, and six of those were members of the Boston skating club—two coaches, two teenage athletes, and the athletes’ mothers. 

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov

The coaches, Zeghibe said, were married former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The Russia-born couple won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships in Chiba, Japan, and also competed twice in the Olympics in 1992 and 1994. 

According to Radio Free Europe, Naumov, 55, and Shishkova, 52, moved to Connecticut in 1998 and began coaching there. They are survived by their son, Maxim, who was also a skater in the club but was not on the fatal flight, Zeghibe said.

Spencer Lane and Christine Lane

Among the other members of the Skating Club of Boston aboard the plane were aspiring skater Spencer Lane and his mom Christine. Zeghibe described Lane, 16, as a “crazy kid, highly talented” who “has not been skating that long and was rocketing to the top of the sport.” According to People magazine, Lane, who previously studied at Barrington High School in Rhode Island, announced in 2022 his plans to train to become an ice skater to compete in the Olympics. His mother Christine accompanied him to the Wichita camp.

A statement from the Lane family reads: “Christine exuded creativity throughout her life, using her formal graphic design training as a jumping-off point for seemingly endless creative pursuits across areas such as photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo. She was also a lover of animals, and we lost track of how many dogs she helped place in loving adoptive homes.”

Jinna Han and Jin Han

Jinna Han and her mother Jin, of Mansfield, Mass. were also among the six Skating Club of Boston members aboard American Eagle flight 5342. Jinna, 13, was “a wonderful kid,” according to Zeghibe. Jimmy Ma, who placed fifth in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, described the teenage Han and Lane as "the next generation of us,” according to CBS News.

Other members of the skating community

Alexandr Kirsanov

Alexandr Kirsanov, who coached two young figure skaters aboard American Eagle flight 5342, also died, his wife confirmed to ABC News. "I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends," Natalya Gudin said. 

Inna Volyanskaya

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) also mentioned in a post on X that one of his constituents, Inna Volyanskaya, a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, was also aboard the flight. TASS earlier reported that Volyanskaya was a bronze medalist at the 1980 USSR Championships.

Cory Haynos, Roger Haynos, and Stephanie Haynos

Many of those believed to have died were young skating talents. The New York Times reported the deaths of Cory Haynos, from North Virginia, who was only 16 in December when he completed one of figure skating’s hardest jumps. Haynos died with his father and mother, Roger and Stephanie. “Roger and his wife died flying home with their son from the US Ice Skating Championships in Kansas,” Roger’s cousin, Matthew Alan LaRaviere, said in a statement posted on social media. “Cory was an amazing skater with a very bright future with the US Skating Team.”

Eddie Zhou and his parents

The Times report noted that Eddie Zhou, Haynos’ training friend, was also on the flight along with his parents, according to neighbors and coworkers.

Brielle Beyer and Justyna Magdalena Beyer

The Times also said Brielle Beyer and her mother Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, were passengers of American Eagle flight 5342. According to the Kansas City Star, Brielle, a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia, turned 12 about two weeks before the crash.

Sean Kay and Angela Yang

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) confirmed in a statement the deaths of young ice-skating duo Sean Kay and Angela Yang, whom Kirsanov coached. 

Everly Livingston and Alydia Livingston

People reported that figure-skating sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, who were 14 and 11 years old respectively, were also on the flight. 

Olivia Ter

NBC affiliate in Tampa WFLA reported that Olivia Ter, a 12-year-old figure skater from Maryland, was also among the figure skaters returning home from the development camp in Wichita who died in the crash, confirmed by the Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County.  “Olivia not only excelled in figure skating programs but inspired others through her talent, determination and sportsmanship,” the local agency said in a statement published by CBS News. “Her passion for the sport and positive influence on her peers and coaches will not be forgotten.”

Plumbers and service technicians

The United Association, a Maryland-based organization representing approximately 384,000 plumbers and service technicians in the U.S. and Canada, issued a statement saying that five of its members were also on the American Eagle flight 5342. Four of the five were members of UA Steamfitters Local 602, according to the statement.

Michael Stovall, 40, and Jesse Pitcher, 30, were among those UA members on board the plane, the New York Times reported. Stovall had flown with at least six of his friends from a hunting trip, his wife told the Times, and was a steamfitter by trade. Pitcher, according to his father, was the owner of a plumbing business. The UA later released the names and ages of the other members on the plane: Charles McDaniel, 44; Jonathan Boyd, 40; and Alexander Huffman, 34. 

Other passengers

Asra Hussain Raza

CBS News reported that 26-year-old Asra Hussain Raza, who had recently relocated to Washington, D.C., for a consulting job, was aboard American Eagle flight 5342 to head home after a work trip, according to her father-in-law. Raza was said to be a graduate of the University of Indiana and Columbia University.

Casey Crafton

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont extended his condolences to Casey Crafton, saying in a post on X, “Salem has lost a dedicated father, husband, and community member.” NBC Connecticut reported that Crafton was a father of three and a youth soccer coach. The Montville Youth Soccer Club described Crafton as a “a valued volunteer … who helped to enrich the lives of all those that he came in contact with.”

Chris Collins

Chris Collins, a 42-year-old analyst with Moody’s Investor Service, was traveling on business with colleague Melissa Nicandri. A family statement published by Massachusetts paper Cape Cod Chronicle said Collins, a native of North Dighton, was “a true adventurer with a passion for the outdoors and a lifelong love of animals.” Moody’s also issued a statement Friday, saying: “The Moody’s family mourns the loss of two of our best …. Chris and Melissa were cherished colleagues who embodied our values and enriched our lives with kindness and warmth.”

Elizabeth Keys

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Elizabeth Keys, a 33-year-old attorney at Wilkinson Stekloff LPP in Washington, D.C., was another of the passengers on American Eagle flight 5342. Keys had been flying back to D.C. from a work trip, according to her partner David Seidman, and she died on her birthday.

Grace Maxwell

Cedarville University in Ohio confirmed the death of one of its students, Grace Maxwell. In a statement, the university said Maxwell was a junior majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. She was supposed to graduate in 2026. “This is heartbreaking news for her family and for our campus community,” the university said.

James ‘Tommy’ Clagett

A resident of Newburg in Maryland’s Charles County, executive vice president of Gaghan Mechanical Inc., and a youth soccer team coach, James “Tommy” Clagett, 43, was among those who died, reported the Baltimore Banner. He was reportedly out hunting with friends in Kansas before the crash and was described by his family as “a well-loved, hardworking, avid outdoorsman” and “a devoted husband and girl dad who built a life most dream of with his wife and two daughters.”

Kiah Duggins

Howard University Professor Kiah Duggins was also among those killed in the collision. The university issued a statement: “Professor Duggins was set to begin a new chapter as a professor at Howard University School of Law this fall. As a civil rights lawyer, she dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C. We ask for privacy and respect for Professor Duggins’ family, students, and colleagues during this difficult time.”

Melissa Nicandri

Also among the American Eagle flight 5342 passengers was Melissa Nicandri, 28. Melissa’s father Peter Nicandri, a lawyer based in Jacksonville, Fla., told local station News4JAX that his daughter was taking a business trip to Kansas and that he received news of her death from her boyfriend. “She’s just anything that anyone would want in a daughter. She was beautiful. Smart. Kind. Generous. Funny. She was a great sister. She was a great friend. She worked hard and had so much ahead of her,” Peter said. Melissa worked as an analyst at Moody’s since 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile, and the company issued a statement mourning her death and that of colleague Chris Collins.

Pergentino Malabed

The Philippine National Police confirmed that PCol. Pergentino Malabed, chief of the supply management division, was also on the flight. In a statement, Philippine police said Malabed was on official travel when the crash occurred. “His untimely passing is a profound loss to the PNP, where he served with honor, integrity, and dedication throughout his career,” the statement read. 

Robert ‘Bob’ and Lori Schrock

Speaking to the Washington Post, Villanova University junior Ellie Schrock confirmed that her parents—Robert “Bob” Shrock, 58, and wife Lori, 56—were also passengers on American Eagle flight 5342. The family resided in Kiowa, Kans., and Bob was a farmer, their daughter said.

Sarah Lee Best

Sarah Lee Best, another lawyer at Wilkinson Stekloff LPP in Washington, D.C., was also on the plane. Daniel Solomon, her husband of almost 10 years, described her to the Post as a hard worker who was generous with kind gestures. “I just can’t honestly imagine going through the rest of my life without her,” Solomon said.  “She really touched the lives of anybody who got to know her.”

Vikesh Patel

Cincinnati, Ohio-based television station WLWT reported that Vikesh Patel, an employee of GE Aerospace, was also among the victims of the crash. Larry Culp, the company’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement: “This is a tragedy not only for our industry, but also for the GE Aerospace team as one of our cherished colleagues, Vikesh Patel, was onboard the flight. Our hearts are with his family and all those impacted by this horrific accident.”

Wendy Jo Shaffer

Wendy Jo Shaffer was also among those on American Eagle flight 5342, per a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising funds for her surviving family—a husband and two children. “Wendy was the heart of her family—a loving partner to her husband and a nurturing, joyful mother to her children,” according to the GoFundMe page. “She dedicated her life to creating a warm, loving home filled with laughter and care.” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, a friend of Shaffer, confirmed her death in a post on X, sharing a statement from her husband: “I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth. Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through.”

Two unnamed Chinese nationals

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that two Chinese nationals were also passengers on the plane. The ministry asked the U.S. to “promptly report the progress of the search and rescue, find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible, and properly handle the follow-up.”

With additional reporting by Simmone Shah.