On Jan. 29, 2025, the skating community, alongside the United States, suffered an unimaginable loss around 9 p.m. as American Airlines’ Eagle Flight number 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. over the Potomac River.
Reportedly, there were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight. At least 15 of the passengers were elite figure skaters, four of which were coaches and two who conquered the sport at an Olympic level. The skaters and their family members—which accounted for 13 other passengers—were returning from Wichita, KS, where they had attended an extremely prestigious event for the National Development Team (NDT) of skating. The practicing athletes ranged from 11 to 16 in age and were up and coming perfectors of the craft, pushing themselves to reach never-seen-before achievements in the elegant world of figure skating. Additionally, there were 32 other passengers, some traveling for business and others embarking on a hunting trip. The other aircraft in the horrific collision was a military grade Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three highly ranking military officials.
“These were young kids, I would say mature beyond their age,” Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, said.
One of the skaters, 12-year-old Briella Beyer from the Skating Club of Northern VA, had just reached a personal milestone by being able to consistently land a triple axel, as well as medaling in all her recent skating events, qualifying her for the NDT. Similar stories can be shared about all the other astonishingly talented figure skaters who were on the flight. None of them had any idea it would be their last skating event, nor it would be their last trip to work on their life-long passion. The skaters were returning from the successful event when the easily avoidable crash took place.
“It is really surreal to think about someone younger than you passing away. It really makes you stop and appreciate how fortunate you are to still be here,” Luiza Carvalho, junior, said.
Evidence shows that there was only one individual working aircraft communications the night of the crash. Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been understaffed after many employees were fired under direct orders from President Donald Trump. Both of the aircraft were contacted by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Air Traffic Control crew just moments before the disaster took place. The commercial aircraft, carrying 64 passengers, was originally planned to land on runway number one, but its destination was changed minutes before the flight was supposed to land. This was due to overly harsh wind conditions on runway number one for the plane, affecting landing conditions. There was no known location of takeoff or landing of the Black Hawk helicopter. However, it is known that the helicopter had eyes on the commercial aircraft before the crash and requested a visual separation from the Air Traffic Control officers. Seconds later, gasps and other forms of audible worry were heard from the control tower.
“I cannot begin to imagine the loss that the figure skating club must be experiencing right now. It is a shame to know that this incident was completely avoidable,” Grayson Mirabelli, freshman, said.
The U.S. skating community, still reeling from the shock, is honoring these young skaters’ lives, their coaches and their families. Every skater and coach on American Airlines’ flight number 5342 had dreams of reaching greater heights in figure skating, and of working tirelessly to improve and experience the thrill of competition. Each passenger on the flight, figure skater or not, will be deeply missed and remembered forever.
