Loved ones and friends were lost in a dreadful plane crash in D.C. into the Potomac. 67 lives were taken, and it was composed mostly of figure skaters returning from a National Development Camp. It is said to be the first major U.S. commercial passenger flight crash since 2009. Some of the skaters came from the Fairfax area.
The plane was an American Eagle Jet, and was on its way to the runway, flying over the Potomac, when an Army Black Hawk Helicopter collided with it. 64 people were on the plane, and 3 in the helicopter. No one survived the explosion.
The skaters included former Frost student Edward Zhou and his parents, Kaiyan Mao and Yu Zhou. They were an incredible family and very dedicated to Edward’s skating career.
Another one of the skaters in the disastrous crash was Cory Haynos, another former Frost student. He was with his parents, Stephanie and Roger Haynos. Cory was always at the rink goofing around and enjoying life. Some of their remaining family members include Cory’s sister, Emily Haynos, and their two dogs.
Brielle Beyer and her mom Justyna Beyer were also on that plane. Brielle was only 12 years old but cherished skating so much. She was always filled with joy, and skating was very important to her. They are survived by Brielle’s brother, Kallen, and her dad, Andy Beyer.
Lastly, Olivia Eve Ter was on the plane with her mom Olesya Ter. Olivia was also 12 years old, always at the rink, skating and doing off-ice. The survivors of this disaster are Andrey, Olivia’s dad, and her sister, Anna Valery.
There were many other people on the plane; other skaters and coaches included Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishcova, Jinna and Jin Han, Spencer and Christine Lane, Alexandr Kirsanov, Sean Kay, Angela Yang, Donna Smojice, Peter, Everly, and Alydia Livingston, Franco and Luciano Aparicio, and Inna Volayanskaya.
The loss of all these talented skaters deeply saddened our skating community, especially family and friends. Coaches of these skaters included Kalle Strid, Mikael Olofsson, and Ilia Kulik. Kalle and Mikael were both coaches of Edward, Cory, and Brielle; Ilia was Olivia’s coach. All of these coaches were devastated when they found out and so were skaters all around the world. The skaters who passed away in the plane crash into the Potomac on January 29, 2025, will always be remembered.
