Tragic American Airlines Army Helicopter Crash Included 14 Members Of The Ice Skating Community
Fourteen members of the competitive figure skating world were among the lives tragically lost when an American Airlines jet collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday in Washington D.C. Youth figure skater partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay won first place at a competition before they died in the Washington, D.C. plane crash.
Two months before the tragedy, Angela and Sean performed at the 2025 Midwestern Sectional U.S. Ice Dance Final, where they took home the top prize. Also on the flight were “Ice Skating Sisters”, Alydia and Everly Livingston.
The coaches, skaters, and their families were all in Kansas to watch the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. After the competition ended Sunday, they stayed on to attend a three-day training camp that’s reserved for only the top young skaters on track to become superstars.
So how did this happen? Weather wasn’t an issue as skies were clear, the pilots were in communication with air traffic control. American Eagle Flight 5342 was on a standard descent to the runway. Aviation experts say a number of factors, both human and technological, played a part. With several agencies involved and so much to review, it could take a year or more to get answers.
All 64 on board the American Eagle jet and all three crew members on the Army Black Hawk helicopter lost their lives.