An outpouring of grief and support has been spreading across the country for the 67 people killed in Wednesday’s midair collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk in Washington D.C., as their identities continue to be revealed by friends and family Friday.
A running list of the victims being tracked by Hearst Media and its subsidiaries has identified more than half by name as officials continue a painstaking search for missing bodies in the Potomac River.
Among the victims identified so far are: Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, who were coaches with the Skating Club of Boston.
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The couple, also established figure skaters, won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships in Chiba, Japan, and competed twice in the Olympics, KARE11 reports.
Casey Crafton, a father of three and husband to Rachel Crafton, is also among the dead, according to the Bob Jones University Alumni. He graduated from the South Carolina-based Christian institution in 2008 and studied Aviation Management.
“Please pray for Rachel, their 3 young sons and the rest of the family as they grieve the loss of Casey,” the group said.
Democrat U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware confirmed in a post on X that three people from his state were on the flight: Alexandr “Sasha” Kirsanov, Sean Kay and Angela Yang.
Kay and Yang were youth skaters while Kirsanov was a skating coach.
“I’m devastated to hear the news that at least three Delawareans died during last night’s air collision. Sasha Kirsanov, Sean Kay, and Angela Yang went to Wichita to pursue their passion for figure skating. It is a tragedy that none of them returned home to our state,” Coons wrote. “Delaware is a state of neighbors, and tonight we hold all of our neighbors a little closer. My heart goes out to Sasha’s wife Natalia, the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, and every other Delawarean touched by the three of them.”
Wendy Jo Shaffer, another victim, was a married mother of two from Charlotte, North Carolina. She was described as “a radiant soul” and a “devoted wife” in a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $264,000 as of Friday afternoon.
“Her love, kindness, and unwavering spirit touched everyone who knew her, and her absence leaves a void that can never be filled,” friends of her family wrote.
“Wendy was the heart of her family — a loving partner to her husband and a nurturing, joyful mother to her children. She dedicated her life to creating a warm, loving home filled with laughter and care. Her boys were her greatest pride and joy, and she dreamed of watching them grow into the amazing individuals she knew they would become.”
Washington-based law firm Wilkinson Stekloff confirmed in a statement to Hearst Media that two of their associates, Sarah Lee Best, 33, and Elizabeth Anne Keys, 33, are among the dead from the crash.
“Liz and Sarah were cherished members of our firm — wonderful attorneys, colleagues, and friends,” the firm said.
Kiah Duggins, 30, a Harvard-trained civil rights attorney and former Miss Kansas contestant, is also among the dead, KWCH reported.
Duggins, who worked with the Civil Rights Corps, was returning to Washington, where she works, after visiting her family in Wichita while her mother underwent surgery. Duggins was also a professor at the Howard University School of Law.
“It is with profound sadness that the Howard University community and the Howard University School of Law have learned of the passing of Professor Kiah Duggins, who was among those lost in the mid-air plane collision at Reagan National Airport. We ask for privacy and respect for Professor Duggins’ family, students, and colleagues during this difficult time,” Howard University President Ben Vinson III wrote on X.
The late pilot of the American Airlines flight was identified as Capt. Jonathan Campos by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he graduated in 2015.
“Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Captain Jonathan Campos (Aeronautical Science, ’15). Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident,” the school said in a statement.
Samuel Lilley, 28, was identified as his co-pilot. Lilley’s father, Tim, told NewsNation that his son was a Christian and is confident that his soul was “right with Jesus.”
On Thursday, at a prayer vigil for the victims in Wichita, Kansas, from where the American Airlines flight originated.
“It wasn’t just Wichitans, it wasn’t just Americans, it was really international,” Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg of Chabad of Wichita, who recited a traditional Hebrew prayer, said during the vigil, according to The Sunflower.
“It shows us how fragile life is and how important it is for us as humanity to come together, not just in times of tragedy.”
Rhonda Kingwood, a pastor at Heart of Christ Methodist Church, who plans to hold another vigil for the victims on Feb. 13 with the Greater Wichita Ministerial League, called the crash an “unimaginable” tragedy.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all the families during this time of loss, because there are no words, you don’t even know how to connect with people in things like this,” she said. “I think it’s a horrible tragedy, and it’s something that’s unimaginable that you just hear, but you don’t think it’s going to happen.”
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