'Heart is breaking': Loved ones speak as US air disaster victims revealed

In the crash over the Potomac River, all 67 people aboard, including three soldiers on a Black Hawk helicopter and 60 passengers and four crew members on the plane, are presumed dead. Some remains of the victims, including the three soldiers, have been recovered, but their identities have not yet been released.

Among those on board were multiple figure skating champions, coaches, and their families. One passenger, 16-year-old figure skater Spencer Lane, posted a photo on Instagram Stories of the plane's right wing before takeoff, with the caption "ICT -> DCA," the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Lane and his mother, Kristine Lane, had just attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.

Lane had participated in his first professional performance in December with Erin Schram's Joy Skate Productions. "It was a whole new experience for him, and he was nervous," Schram recalled. "After the show, he came up, and his face was beaming. He started to find that connection with the audience and bring joy to other people through his gift." The Lane family recalled Kristine Lane's unique talents and her dedication to raising her children in a statement. "Kristine lived a life full of creativity, taking her formal training in graphic design as a starting point for an endless pursuit of creativity in photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She poured even more passion into her role as mom to Spencer and his younger brother, Milo."

The Skating Club of Boston confirmed that coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, along with skaters Lane and Kinna Han, were on the flight. Han’s mother was also on board. "We watched Kinna grow from a little child into the amazing, poised 13-year-old she is today," said Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston. "She's a great performer, a great competitor, and a great kid off the ice." Shishkova and Naumov were the 1994 World Figure Skating pairs champions. They represented Russia before moving to the United States, where they began a successful coaching career. Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan expressed her condolences for the victims, saying, "I don't know how to process this. We just want to be here, to be part of our community." Kerrigan said she had "never seen anyone love skating as much as these athletes who were lost in the crash." She had been following the news of the tragedy all night, but "it hits harder when you find out you know some of the people on the plane."

In neighboring Loudoun County, Virginia, State Delegate Suhas Subramanyam confirmed that a coach from a skating club was also among the passengers. The club, Ashburn Ice House, said that "the figure skating community has been directly impacted" but did not provide further details. The identities of the two pilots on the plane have also been confirmed. The captain was identified as Jonathan Campos, according to a colleague who spoke with CNN. Campos became a captain for American Airlines in 2022. Samuel Lilly, 28, was the flight's first officer, and his father posted on Facebook. "I was so proud when Sam became a pilot," Timothy Lilly wrote. "Now I am in so much pain I can't sleep. I know I will see him again, but my heart is broken." American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNN as he left the departure hall at Reagan National Airport that he had met with the families of the victims of Flight 5342. Isom, wearing a blue quarter-zip sweater, was escorted by security and media personnel and solemnly nodded when asked by CNN if he had met with the families of the victims and planned to meet with investigators.

The remains of all three soldiers on the helicopter have been recovered. Officials said the remains would be sent to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. That office coordinates the dignified transfer of fallen service members. Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been released. The identities of the crew members have not been released. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the three soldiers were conducting annual night proficiency flight training, adding that they were "an experienced crew." One of the soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash Wednesday night, Ryan O’Hara, was described by a fellow soldier as "one of the best, most disciplined, and loyal trainers I’ve ever worked with." U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Mullendore had worked with O’Hara when he was the senior instructor pilot for their battalion. “I flew with Ryan O’Hara dozens of times, trying to utilize his expertise in sling load operations,” Mullendore said. Mullendore told CNN that O'Hara's job was a crew chief, explaining that his "military occupational specialty was 15T, he originally trained as a maintainer on the Black Hawk helicopter." O'Hara's duties expanded, and he began teaching other crew chiefs how to properly perform crew duties in the back of the Black Hawk. Mullendore recalled that O'Hara was a man who loved his family deeply. “I remember being in a lengthy briefing, and he had to tell me he had a date night planned. The briefing ended quickly,” Mullendore said. “This is a huge loss to Army Aviation and the world around. May he rest in peace, and may our Father God comfort his dear family.”

Another helicopter pilot's wife said on Facebook that her husband, Andrew Ives of Noxubee County, Mississippi, was killed. Carrie Ives confirmed in a phone call that she made the post, according to the Associated Press. "We ask that you pray for our family and friends, and all of the other families that are hurting today. We ask for peace in our grief," her post read. Among the victims were also four steamfitters, all members of the United Association Local Union in suburban Maryland, whose union leaders posted on social media after the crash. "Our focus now is on providing support and care to our brothers' families, while we continue to gather more information in the coming days," United Association President Mark McManus and Local 602 Business Manager Chris Madro wrote in the post.

Three students from Fairfax County Schools in Virginia and six parents from the district were also on the plane, Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to parents. She did not release their identities but said the students were from different schools and that two of the parents were current or former district employees. A junior at Cedarville University was among the passengers on the American Airlines flight involved in the deadly crash. Grace Maxwell was from Wichita, Kansas, according to the university in Cedarville, Ohio. "As you can imagine, the past 24 hours have been very difficult for the Maxwell family and the Cedarville University community," the private Baptist college wrote. "As a university, we don't want to make this tragic event about anything else other than honoring Grace, her family, and Jesus." Maxwell's father, Dean Maxwell, told the Kansas City Star that she was returning to campus from her home in Wichita, Kansas, after attending her grandfather's funeral. The university said in a statement that Maxwell was working on a project this semester to create a hand stabilization device to help a boy in the area feed himself rather than rely on others. "Grace was a quiet person who had a strong interest in helping others through engineering," her second advisor, Tim Norman, said.

Seven people were killed while returning from a guided hunting trip in Kansas, according to a post on Facebook by Fowl Plains, a guiding service. The Fowl Plains team said they had close relationships with the hunters on board for years and considered them family. The post did not release the names of the hunters but said they had been guiding them for the past week, "laughing, talking about our families, and sharing memories." The company said, "Heartbroken does not even begin to describe how we are feeling."