Young sisters tragically die in Washington, D.C. plane crash
Talented ice skating siblings among victims in devastating small-plane accident
Sixty-seven people lost their lives in a tragic plane crash near Washington, D.C., including sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, young figure skaters whose passion for the sport inspired many.
The Livingston family—parents Donna and Peter, along with their daughters Everly, 14, and Alydia, 11—were among the victims of American Airlines Flight 5342, which crashed Wednesday night. The family had been traveling back home from a figure skating competition when disaster struck.
The sisters, widely known as the “Ice Skating Sisters” on social media, were rising stars in the sport. They trained at Ashburn Ice House in Virginia and were members of the Washington Figure Skating Club.
Just days before the crash, their father captured a photo of them in Kansas, a memory of their love for skating. Their final Instagram post, shared five days before the tragedy, showed them smiling at the championships, proudly wearing their athlete lanyards.
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“If you look closely at Alydia’s badge… We were born ready for this,” they captioned the post. “But is @usfigureskating ready for this much Livingston at Nationals?”
Everly had even shared her dreams of skating for Team USA in an interview with FOX 5 DC last year.
Tributes pour in for the skating community
The figure skating world is deeply grieving. U.S. Figure Skating confirmed several members of their community were on board the flight. Memorials are growing at ice rinks across the country, particularly at Ashburn Ice House, where Everly and Alydia trained.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to all affected,” Ashburn Ice House management shared. “The figure skating community is a close-knit, worldwide family, and our hearts are broken.”
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The Nittany Valley Figure Skating Club also expressed their sorrow, announcing they would hold a moment of silence in honor of the victims.
Family friend Cassandra Atkins, an Australian designer who created custom skating outfits for the sisters, shared her heartbreak. Though she never met them in person, she frequently exchanged messages with their mother, Donna.
“Donna was the perfect mom,” Atkins told WFLA. “The girls were her world. They loved bright, standout outfits and always brought so much joy to the ice.”
She also recalled how the sisters’ energy extended beyond the rink.
“If they weren’t skating, they were roller skating—or they’d put wheels on their boots. They always found a way to move.”
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Deadliest U.S. air disaster in 24 years
The crash was caused by a midair collision between the American Airlines flight and a military Black Hawk helicopter conducting a training exercise. The commercial plane, preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, spiraled into the Potomac River, making it the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in nearly 24 years.
Among the victims were multiple members of the figure skating world, including 1994 World Champion pair skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The Skating Club of Boston confirmed six of its members were on board.
Investigators are now working to understand the cause of the collision, while communities across the nation grieve the loss of so many lives.
For those who knew Everly and Alydia, their love for skating and their bright spirits will never be forgotten.
