McLean sophomore and figure skater Ella Stevens practiced with victims Franco Aparicio, Brielle Breyer, Cory Haynos and Eddie Zhou every day, before and after school. Although Stevens had known them for less than a year, memories like proudly embracing Breyer after completing her triples or admiring Zhou’s expert twirls on the ice brought Stevens profoundly close to her teammates.

“Eddie was good at all the jumps he did. Brielle was good at all the spins she did, and Cory was good at both,” Stevens said. “They all had special things that they were so good at. Especially Franco. He was a middle schooler at Kilmer. He would come to our rink a few times a week with his sister. He would just bring a smile to all of our faces, and we all loved him.”

All four skaters, along with 63 others, died on Wednesday, Jan. 29, when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. Their flight departed from Wichita, Kansas, at 6:39 p.m. EST, after the skaters wrapped up their three-day National Development Camp, a prestigious program where top-end coaches teach 150 of the nation’s elite juvenile skaters.

“They were all incredible people with incredible personalities,” Stevens said. “I just wish they could be here with us.”

According to CNN, Flight 5342 was scheduled to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport’s Runway 1, but air traffic control (ATC) redirected their plane to Runway 33 at 8:42 p.m. Five minutes later, ATC radioed the Black Hawk helicopter, callsign PAT 2-5, to confirm they could see Flight 5342. PAT 2-5 confirmed.

Then, air traffic control ordered PAT 2-5 to pass behind Flight 5342. Seconds later, at 8:47 p.m., they collided. First responders arrived at the scene by 8:58 p.m., battling harsh winds and hypothermic waters to no avail. By 7:30 a.m. the next morning, officials declared all 64 passengers and three service members dead.

The loss of life sent grief rippling across the county. Many students were close friends with the victims, nine of whom lived in Fairfax County—three students and six parents. Two of the parents had worked at FCPS.

“I look back at photos and videos of the people lost on the plane, and I still can’t believe that they are gone,” said Alison Rho, a junior figure skater at McLean who was close friends with deceased skater Olivia Eve Ter. “I remember just seeing them at competitions last year, and I would have seen them again a few weeks later at another competition in March.”

On Thursday, Jan. 30, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid sent two emails addressing the accident, expressing her condolences and urging those affected to seek support.

“Hello Team FCPS,
It continues to be a very difficult day for our FCPS family. Our hearts are broken as we learn that we have lost members of our FCPS family in the tragic accident at Reagan National Airport last night. I invite you to join me in praying for our families, friends, and colleagues, that we know have lost loved ones in this tragic accident.
While we grieve, we will focus on providing support and crisis counseling for our students, staff and families who are hurting. We will be sharing more with our FCPS community as we are able but want to be very sensitive to the situation and the people we care about.
If you are feeling anxious, frustrated, or overwhelmed and need support, please consider reaching out to FCPS’ Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
I know you will join me in lifting up these families, friends, and all of those affected in the difficult days ahead. We are also appreciative to the many emergency officials who are responding to this tragedy.
This is a time we must hold one another a bit closer…”

— Michelle Reid, Superintendent

On the national stage, the collision evoked responses from politicians on both sides. After commemorating the victims and thanking first responders, President Donald Trump blamed diversity, equity and inclusion policies for causing the accidental collision. His opponents argued his mass-firing of federal workers left Ronald Reagan National Airport understaffed. But many close to the victims want to keep politics out of the disaster.

“I just wish that people would stop treating and [associating] this incident with politics and Trump,” Rho said. “I want them to know that these are the lives of actual people that have been lost.”

Pushing politics aside, the Northern Virginia skating community continues to remember the legacies of their beloved skaters. On Feb. 2, mourners propped up candy, flowers, notes and portraits of the deceased on tables at the MedStar Capitals IcePlex, where Aparacio, Breyer, Haynos and Zhou used to practice daily.

“It kind of just occurred to me when I saw the table that this was a pretty huge deal,” said Owen Deutsch, a hockey player at MedStar and rising freshman at McLean. “After seeing the table, I felt really bad for all the victims of the crash and [realized] how awful that must have been for them and their families.”

Beyond Northern Virginia, the University of Delaware Skating Club and Ashburn Ice House also held their commemoration services on the same day.

“The skating community has been affected really hard by this because we lost 14 of our skaters, eight from this area and the rest from different areas including Delaware and Boston,” Stevens said. “We’re going to set up a permanent memorial soon. We will never forget their names.”

This story was originally published on The Highlander on February 3, 2025.