A plane crash in Washington claimed the lives of Everly, 14, and Alydia, 11, both of whom were figure skating sisters. Their parents both perished in the accident too.
There were two sisters who competed in figure skating, and both of them lost their lives in the recent plane tragedy that occurred in Washington, Maryland. Following their participation in the most recent finals held in Wichita, the two were on their way back to their respective homes when the tragic event took place.
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There have been multiple individuals who have confirmed the identities of the victims, including Peter Livingston, his wife Donna Smojice Livingston, who is originally from Central Pennsylvania, and their kids who are figure skaters. They were among the thousands of people who lost their lives in the plane crash that was operated by American Airlines.
In addition to the crew and other passengers on Flight 5342, the couple’s two children, Everly, who was 14 years old, and Alydia, who was 11 years old, were among those who lost their lives. In their most recent social media post, the brothers were seen posing together at an event that took place on January 24.
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A large number of hashtags were used in the tweet, which stated, “If you look closely at Alydia’s badge…” In spite of the fact that we were born prepared for this, is @usfigureskating ready to face this much Livingston at the Nationals?
Cassandra Atkins, an Australian family friend of the Livingstons, created part of the girls’ skating clothing with the assistance of her company, Frozen Couture. She was a contributor to the designing process. Her communication with Donna took place on a weekly or daily basis, despite the fact that she had never seen the family in person.
Cassandra received periodic updates from their mother, which included photographs and videos of the children. As she reflected on their relationship, she made the observation, “Donna was truly the epitome of the ideal mother.” And she was. Her entire universe and everything revolved around those females, as I have already mentioned.
The talk between Cassandra and Donna regarding making new clothes for the girls took place exactly one week ago. Donna claims that her daughters took pleasure in making a statement on the ice by donning bright colors rather than the darker colors that it was customary for other skaters of their age to wear.
“They just loved skating so much,” Cassandra said reflecting on the girls’ excitement for the sport of skating. “They were roller skating or they had wheels on their boots when they weren’t skating,” she added. “They were skating and they were skating.” They never failed to come up with a solution to any problem.
Also expressing their sorrow over the loss of the Livingstons was the Skating Lesson Facebook group. Alydia was featured on the page as a new ice dancer having secured a position in the camp by teaming with a new partner. The page also featured images of the sisters.
Moreover, she was the youngest skater on the aircraft. Lydia was recognized for her bright nature and her intense drive to develop on the rink, regardless of the criticism that she received, as stated on the page.
On the other hand, her older sister was more reserved and silent, and the skateboard was the only place where she came to life. During her time competing at the intermediate and juvenile levels, she attained the position of sectional champion. During the time when the children were growing up, their father worked as a real estate agent, and their mother was employed by Comcast.
During the past few months, the deceased couple was described as devoted parents who, in order to support their daughters’ skating careers, traveled between Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia, sleeping in hotels rather frequently.
“Donna will be remembered for her optimistic nature, and Peter will be remembered for being a supportive father who loved filming his girls wherever and wherever they went,” an additional statement was included in the post.
It was stated in a post that was published on Facebook on December 3, 2022 by a page that was dedicated to figure skating that the sisters had a significant interest in the sport ever since they were little. Everly and Alydia were two and five years old at the time of the photo that was uploaded on the internet. The photo was taken in the snow and showed the two friends laughing.
Figure skating was something that the sisters continued to do even though they were nine and twelve years old at the time. The story went on to say that their father constructs an ice rink in the garden for the kids on an annual basis, demonstrating the girls’ enthusiasm for the sport. The size of the rink continues to increase year after year, in tandem with the size of the girls.
At the Ashburn Ice House in the year 2023, Fox5 conducted an interview with Everly. When asked what she loved most about figure skating, she responded that she liked how the sport contained spins and leaps. She considered this to be one of the benefits of figure skating.
A young skater admitted that figure skating is a lovely sport because, despite the fact that it is challenging, it also requires grace from its participants. Additionally, in November of 2018, their parents put together a YouTube page for them to use in order to demonstrate their skills there. The channel now has 437 subscribers, 86,534 views, and 67 videos as of this moment in time.
An Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines aircraft were involved in a collision on the evening of Wednesday, January 29, close to the capital city of Washington, District of Columbia. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Midair Collision occurred between a Bombardier CRJ700 plane operated by PSA Airlines and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.
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In the vicinity of nine o’clock local time, the accident took place at Reagan Washington National Airport, as the jet was approaching the runway. Figure skating athletes from the United States, as well as members of their families and coaches, were among the 64 victims.
During the week prior, the event took place when the party was traveling back to their residence after competing in the United States Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. During the National Development Camp, a number of the victims had participated in the competitions that were held concurrently with others.
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Initially, the names of victims have been recognized as members, coaches, and family of the United States Figure Skating Team. These victims include Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Han, as well as Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine. The Skating Club (SC) of Boston athletes is the first to be recognized.
During the year 2025, the figure skater Jinna, who was only 13 years old at the time, became well-known for her performance in the Eastern Sectional Singles Final. During that time period, she was a member of the novice women’s free skate community. Her ability to maintain her composure, impressive technical skills, and commanding presence on stage garnered her recognition.
At the Ice Chips exhibition that was held in 2023 at SC Boston, she produced performances that were quite remarkable. She was “in it to win it, full of grace, a serious competitor but so nice about it and so supportive of her fellow competitors,” said Doug Zeghibe, CEO and Executive Director of SC Boston, in a statement that praised her abilities. merely a delight, but for a young girl of thirteen years old, she is graceful beyond measure.
A journalist and skating enthusiast named Kat Cornetta expressed her anguish at the loss of Jinna Han in a post on X. She said, “I am saddened by the loss of everyone on that DC flight, but especially so by the loss of Jinna Han.” She was a spectacular skater in her own right.
Kat has shared her thoughts about Jinna Han in a prior piece of writing. Earlier, she had expressed her admiration for the abilities and dedication of the athlete who had passed away. Tashema Lindsey stated in a post that included Jinna’s mother and her friend London, “London and her friend Jinna Han, a shining star lost in the plane crash, will continue to inspire us.” Jinna’s mother was part of the message. London is in a state of mourning!..] [note] Simply put, I am utterly torn apart! italics]”
Among those who were eliminated from the competition were coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova of SC Boston. Some of the athletes who passed away were from Northern Virginia and included Cory Haynos, Justyna Magdalena, Brielle Beyer and her mother, and Eddie Zhou. Everly and Alydia were both members of the Figure Skating Club (formerly known as the FSC) in Washington.
At the same time that coach Inna Volyanskaya passed away, another Washington FSC athlete, Franco Aparicio, also passed away. Alexander Kirsanov, the coach of the University of Delaware FSC, as well as Sean Kay and Angela Yang, the athletes, all passed away.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the families of the victims closely in our hearts,” the United States Figure Skating Association said in a statement that was uploaded on Instagram on the day of the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the organization that is leading the inquiry, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working beside the NTSB.