Final tragic performance of two child ice skaters killed in DC crash as divers recover black box from helicopter wreck
THE final, tragic performance of two child ice skaters killed in the horrifying Washington DC plane crash has emerged.
Angela Yang and Sean Kay were two of 67 people who died in the nightmare collision on Wednesday.
The pair, both aged 11, were talented ice dancers who were heading home from the US Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp.
Footage from November showed the pair dancing on ice in Plano, Texas.
The routine saw them dancing to an upbeat Russian-sounding song and Sean holding Angela in the air and spinning her around a number of times.
They float along the ice performing skills beyond their years to an applauding audience.
At the end of the clip, the pair sit with their coach holding stuffed animals while they listen to their score being read out over the loudspeaker.
The pair won and erupted into beaming smiles as they fist bumped.
Angela and Sean were undefeated for the season and had “big plans” for the future, one skating page said.
They were each accompanied by a parent on the flight, Angela by mom Lily and Sean by mom Yulia – both of whom also tragically died.
Their coach Sasha Kirsanov was also on board – with his wife Natalia Gudin paying tribute to the children.
She told Delaware Online: “This young team – Sean Kay and Angela Yang – they were so amazing.
“All the judges were so proud and they had such a big future. And what, all on the same plane?”
“For me, it’s a triple loss.”
The black box cockpit voice recorder from the Black Hawk chopper has been pulled from the water.
Flight data from the plane will be key to understanding why the crash happened.
At least 41 bodies have now been recovered from the Potomac River – with 28 of those victims identified.
Washington DC fire and emergency medical services chief John Donnelly said he expects all the bodies can be recovered.
The Army has refused to identify the female soldier killed after her family requested anonymity.
It earlier named the other two in the chopper as Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O’Hara and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves.
The plane plunged into Potomac River in Washington DC after colliding with a US Army helicopter just before 9pm.
USA Figure Skating said several members of its skating community were also on board.
It said in a statement that the athletes, coaches and relatives were travelling back home from a development camp held in Wichita, Kansas.
“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.”
At a skating rink in Arlington, Virginia, mourners have established a memorial to honor those killed as teams continue searching to recover victims from the water just 30 miles away.
Three people from Ashburn Ice Center were also killed in the flight.
Brielle Beyer, 12, and her mom Justyna Beyer and coach Inna Volyanskaya died in the crash.
Horror CCTV from the Kennedy Center showed the moment the aircraft burst into flames after crashing in the air.
Rescue crews are grappling with dark, cold conditions to search for victims’ bodies as police divers and boats scour the freezing waters.
Washington DC plane crash victims
A mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter on January 29, 2025, left dozens presumed dead. The victims include:
- Captain Jonathan Campos, 34
- First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28
- Flight attendant Ian Epstein, 53
- Flight attendant Danasia Brown
- Spencer Lane, 16
- Christine Lane, 49
- Jinna Han, 13
- Jin Han
- Evgenia Shishkova, 52
- Vadim Naumov, 55
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Angela Yang
- Sean Kay
- Peter Livingston
- Donna Smojice Livingston
- Everly Livingston, 14
- Alydia Livingston, 11
- Inna Volyanskaya
- Brielle Beyer, 12,
- Justyna Magdalena Beyer
- Olivia Eve Ter, 12
- Asra Hussain Raza, 26
- Michael Stovall, 40
- Jesse Pitcher, 30
- Elizabeth Anne Keys, 33
- Wendy Jo Shaffer
- Kiah Duggins
- Casey Crafton
- Lori Schrock, 56
- Robert Schrock, 58
- Vikesh Patel
- Grace Maxwell, 20
- Black Hawk Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara, 28
- Black Hawk Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39