No Survivors After Collision Between Passenger Jet And Army Helicopter
First responders at the crash site in Potomac River after the collision
By Giselle Arechiga, January 30th 2025
Officials have now released new information regarding the U.S Army Black Hawk helicopter and the American Airlines flight collision that took place Wednesday, Jan. 29th, resulting in the death of 67 people. The incident occurred in the Potomac River near the Regan National Airport, near Washington D.C.
The U.S. Army helicopter carried three soldiers traveling from Fort Belvoir in Virginia, participating in a training exercise when it collided with the American Airlines plane attempting to land the runway at the airport. The plane was traveling from Wichita, Kansas and carried 60 passengers, four crew members, two pilots, and two flight attendants.
As crews continue their search for victims, at least 55 bodies have been recovered from the crash with some being identified, D.C. officials say. Some of the passengers on board the plane included top figure skaters from Russia and the United States.
Two 16-year-old skaters, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were on board the flight returning home from the National Development camp alongside their mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane. Their two skating Coaches, Vadim Naumov and Eugenia Shishkova were also on the flight.
Jinna Han was just 13 when she started turning heads at the Skating Club of Boston and said to be unforgettable by the CEO Doug Zehibe. “Jinna, just a wonderful kid. Wonderful parents. Great competitor. Loved by all,” he said.
Douglas Lane spoke out after the crash claiming how loved his son was in the skating community in Boston, “he was just loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics.”
The two star coaches Vadim Naumov and Eveniga Shishkova were a Russian born pair that won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship and competed in the Olympics twice, had been coaching at the Skating Club of Boston.
There were several other gifted skaters, coaches and family members who were involved in the fatal crash.
The morning after the collision, President Donald Trump spoke out stating there were no survivors involving the crash and placed it as the deadliest US air carrier incident since 2001.
"I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation," Trump said. He also criticized the Biden administration and attacked diversity initiatives without offering any evidence that linked the former policies to the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane's flight data and voice recorders have all been recovered and hope to have a preliminary report ready within 30 days.
