HEARTBROKEN friends of young ice skaters killed in a fatal crash between a passenger plane and military helicopter on Wednesday sobbed as they returned to a local rink hours after the unspeakable tragedy.
All 67 people aboard the American Airlines flight and the Black Hawk helicopter were killed in the mid-air collision, which sent the two aircraft plunging into the Potomac River on Wednesday night.
As more than 40 bodies have been pulled from the fridge waters, devastating details have emerged about the passengers who died as they traveled from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington DC.
Young figure skaters and their coaches were identified as dozens of the victims, who had been traveling back from a skating development camp in Wichita.
At a skating rink in Arlington, Virginia, mourners have established a memorial to honor those killed as teams continue searching to recover victims from the water just 30 miles away.
Lana Jones, who guest coaches at Ashburn Ice House, spoke to The U.S. Sun about the tragedy's catastrophic blow to the skating community in Washington DC.
Jones, 47, said she had "little time to process" the fatal crash as she had to return to teach on the ice at 5:30 am on Thursday - just hours after the crash, which happened just before 9 pm on Wednesday.
“It was difficult to coach but I did my best to do my job but it was a very emotional environment," Jones said.
"We were all crying and trying to comfort each other. I did have to coach right after hearing the news.”
At least three of the victims presumed dead in the crash skated at Ashburn Ice Center, including Inna Volyanskaya.
Volyanskaya, a former pair skater for the Soviet Union, worked as a skating coach at the center.
Jones, who has coached at a local rink called SkateQuest for 17 years, said she had fond memories of Volyanskaya from her time guest coaching at Ashburn for nearly a year.
"She was a lovely person, she always greeted me when I saw her in the morning," Jones said.
"She was kind and soft-spoken. I appreciated her kindness, I will remember her for that.
“I know her students loved her and they worked hard under her.";
Ashburn Ice House members Brielle Beyer, 12, and her mom Justyna Beyer were also killed on the ill-fated flight, leaving behind a heartbroken family, according to ABC affiliate .
A mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter on January 29, 2025, left dozens presumed dead. The victims include:
A 15-year-old girl who knew some of the victims became emotional as she spoke alongside her mom, who encouraged her to say a few words to remember her friends.
“I just couldn’t believe it," the teen, who asked to remain unnamed, told The U.S. Sun.
"I didn’t think it was real, I just couldn’t process it. I miss them. They were my friends."
She added about other victims, "The coaches were really hardworking. This is our rink. I’ve been skating here since I was three, I’m 15 now. I’m just trying not to cry."
Wellesley Shomo, 41, a former ice hockey coach at Ashburn Ice Center, told The U.S. Sun the news hit him hard.
“It’s just sad. I just found out that some of the local kids here were on the plane crash," he said.
"I grew up skating here, I coached here, so anytime you see any of the kids lose their future it’s sad."
Shomo remembered the skating instructors as "great people" and "amazing coaches."
"The skating community is one of the strongest communities you’ll have. It’s a very tight-knit group," he said.
Rachel Eddinger, 22, said she didn't know any of the victims but stopped by the makeshift memorial, made up of flowers and balloons, at the ice rink to pay her respects.
At the sight of people playing hockey in the rink, Eddinger said she hopes the tragedy doesn't stop people's love of figure skating.
"I think people should continue to skate, play hockey, figure skate," she said.
"Think about those that we lost but keep carrying on."
Skatequest, another local ice skating center about 25 miles from the site of the crash, also has a memorial set up to honor victims with flowers and stuffed animals.
Another victim remembered in the horrific tragedy is 30-year-old civil rights attorney Kiah Duggins.
Duggins' friend Ryland Michele told The U.S. Sun it is an “absolutely tragic time for so many friends and families of the victims.”
“Kiah had the ability to make everyone feel at home the moment she entered a room," Michele said.
Duggin, a Wichita native, was a two-time former Miss Kansas contestant who was set to become a professor at Howard University in the fall.
“She was not only a beauty queen on the outside, most importantly she was beautiful to the core," Michele said.
“One of her best qualities was her passion to make everyone feel equal and loved.";
Michele, who met Duggins via the Miss Kansas Organization, said the activist will be remembered as a "beautiful and kind woman."
“She had already built such a powerful legacy and had no intentions of slowing down,” she said.
She added her pageant family will “miss her forever.”
From Senior Reporter Israel Salas-Rodriguez in Washington DC:
A recovery mission is still underway just several feet behind me here at the Potomac River in the National’s capital.
Divers have continued to scour through the waters searching for victims.
The unfathomable incident occurred late Wednesday evening when an American Airlines flight carrying 64 passengers and crew members, which originated from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a Black Hawk army helicopter as the commercial airliner was making its decent into Reagan National Airport.
The horrific caught on camera incident sent shockwaves across the country.
Footage captured the mid-air collision that lit up the DC sky as remnants of both aircraft’s plunged into the icy Potomac river, leaving no survivors.
First responders have been working tirelessly, around the clock, pulling bodies and debris from the aircraft’s from the frigid waters.
The U.S. Sun was at Reagan National Airport on Thursday an hour after the airport reopened at 11 am.
Several travelers, hauling luggages, spoke to The U.S. Sun and described how the incident left them uneasy as they waited to board their flight.
One concerned man described how he and his sister have been texting overnight, nonstop since her AA from Arkansas was rerouted to NY because of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation and working on determining what caused the crash that killed all 67 people aboard the AA flight and Army helicopter.
So far, at least 41 bodies have been recovered.
At least 14 of the passengers aboard the AA flight were renowned icy skaters and hopeful Olympians, who were returning home from a national Figure Ice Skating tournament in Wichita.
The athletes were members of various icy rinks in the DMV area and Boston.
The U.S. Sun spoke to several mourns outside Ashburn Ice Center on Thursday evening, many of whom were still visibly shaken by the tragedy.
Former ice hockey coach at Ashburn Wellesley Shomo coached at the facility for 3 years and played on the ice for another 20 years.
A heavy-hearted Wellesley remembered some of the coaches that died in the crash as “good people who dedicate hours to their craft.”
A 15-year-old girl and her mom arrived at Ashburn Ice Center with flowers in hand minutes before the ice center was set to close for the night on Thursday.
The emotional teen, who fought back tears, told The U.S. Sun that some of her friends died in the crash, saying, “This is our rink. I’ve been skating here since I was 3. I’m just trying not to cry.”
President Trump said he and his team have “strong opinions and ideas” about what happened, but vowed to conduct a speedy investigation.
Along with the 64 aboard the American Airlines flight, three soldiers on the Black Hawk died when the military helicopter smashed into the passenger jet at a low elevation.
Horrifying footage showed the moment the plane, collided with the US Army helicopter, causing a bright flash to light up the sky.
The official reason for the crash remains a mystery, despite the American Airlines CEO placing fault on the helicopter and President Donald Trump blaming diversity efforts for unequipped staff.
However, The Federal Aviation Administration revealed the airport's air traffic controller tower was reportedly short-staffed at the time of the crash, according to .
A preliminary report revealed the controller guiding the plane was doing two jobs at once - and the tower had been operating with a third of its recommended staff for years.
As the investigation continues, officials will likely be held legally accountable for the horrifying mishap, according to civil trial attorney Spencer Kuvin.
“It appears that the understaffing of our country’s air traffic control system has gotten to the critical point where tragedies are going to occur on a more regular basis," Kuvin told The U.S. Sun.
"A full investigation into not only the crash, but more importantly into the systemic problems that have been developing over the years within the FAA, needs to occur.
"Congress should have special hearings to determine what the problem is and what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future."
