Up to 14 members of US figure skating community including ex-world champions and 12-year-old girl - what we know about passengers

Dozens of people have died after an American Airlines passenger plane was in a mid-air crash with a military helicopter in Washington DC.

There were 64 people on the plane that departed from Witchita in Kansas and three US soldiers in the helicopter when the aircraft collided just before 9pm local time on Wednesday.

Twenty-seven bodies have been recovered from the jet and one from the helicopter, authorities have said. They believe there are no survivors.

The crash, which happened as the jet sought to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, is the worst civil aviation disaster in the US since 2001.

Here's what we know about the passengers so far.

A pilot and a passenger

The family of one of the American Airlines pilots killed in the crash has named him as Jonathan Campos.

Passenger Kiah Duggins' parents also confirmed she was on board. They said: "We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished first-born. Please respect our family's privacy at this time."

Up to 14 members of US figure skating community

Several figure skating organisations have said that athletes were on the American Airlines jet.

One of those was 12-year-old Olivia Ter, who was described as "beloved" and an "exceptional youth figure skater".

The Parks Department in Prince George's county, Maryland confirmed Olivia's death on Thursday night.

It said she was one of four elite skaters from the region attending a development camp in Wichita, Kansas.

"The impact of Olivia's life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed," a department director, Bill Tyler, said.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the Ter family, friends, teammates, and all those affected by this devastating loss."

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Meanwhile, The Skating Club of Boston has named members of its community who were on the American Airlines jet in a statement posted on Instagram.

They include athlete Jinna Han and her mother Jin Han, athlete Spencer Lane and his mother Christine Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Yevgenia Shishkova, a married couple who won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994.

Reports of the couple being on board the jet were confirmed by the Kremlin.

As many as 14 American members of the community are feared dead in the mid-air collision over the Potomac River, the Skating Club of Boston's CEO said.

Doug Zeghibe said: "To the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home from the national development camp at Wichita, Kansas, put on by US figure skating, were lost in the plane crash at Washington DC.

"Of those 14 skaters, six were from the Skating Club of Boston. Two coaches and two teenage athletes, and two of the athletes' mums."

"It's a major loss for our skating community," he added.

US Figure Skating confirmed several members of their community were on the American Airlines flight.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available," it said in a statement.

A man who said his daughter's best friend and her mother were on the jet when it crashed told Sky News they had been at an "athletic trip" in Kansas.

Russian world champions

According to US media, Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, had lived in America since at least 1998, where they trained young ice skaters.

Their son, Maxim, 23, who had been competing in the US figure skating championships in Wichita, was also feared to be on the plane. But his friend and fellow skater Anton Spiridonov has reportedly said he left four days ago.

The couple were reported to have been returning from the competition and travelling with a group of young skaters.

Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also reported to have been on board, Russian state media said. She was a coach at the Washington figure skating club, according to its website.

"We regret and offer condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in this plane crash," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Skaters confirm safety

US-Russian figure skater Spiridonov has confirmed he was not on the plane that crashed, despite reports suggesting he was.

Russian media had named him among the casualties, he said in an Instagram post, but he's appeared to correct the record.

"I was NOT on this flight, thank you for everyone's concern for my safety," the Winter World University Games silver medallist wrote.

"My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy."

Cristian McKnight-Ide, a professional skater, said in a Facebook post: "Thank you for those who have reached out regarding the flight from Wichita that crashed. Scarlet and I are home safe since early this afternoon.

"We are all praying for the safety of our fellow skaters that were on that flight."

Anne Goldberg-Baldwin, also a skater, said she was "safe" as she asked her followers to pray for her loved ones in a story on Instagram.

More than 300 first responders are facing freezing temperatures as part of a recovery operation which is expected to last days.

The Pentagon and the Army are investigating the crash, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on X.

(c) Sky News 2025: Up to 14 members of US figure skating community including ex-world champions and 12-year-old girl