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Who Are the Victims in the D.C. Plane Crash?

Published

11 months ago

February 4, 2025

Who Are the Victims in the D.C. Plane Crash?

Sixty-four people were inside the American Airlines regional jet carving a path through the evening sky from Wichita, Kan., to Washington D.C., on Jan. 29.

A four-person flight crew. A lawyer eager to celebrate her 33rd birthday, seven hunting buddies and a Kansas farming couple visiting their daughter. Twenty-eight people returning from an elite figure skating camp, including skaters, their parents and coaches.

As the plane, Flight 5342, was preparing to land, it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers, creating a fireball above the Potomac River and killing all aboard both aircraft.

These are many of the victims of the crash, identified by The New York Times through interviews with their families, employers and friends, and official statements.

Asra Hussain, 26

via Columbia Public Health

Business Travelers

Work drew several of the passengers to Wichita, the largest city in Kansas and a Midwestern hub of manufacturing and aviation. Two analysts for Moody’s were on the plane, the company said.

Two women on the plane were colleagues from Wilkinson Stekloff, a Washington, D.C., law firm, and had traveled to Kansas for a deposition.

Ms. Keys, who turned 33 on the day of the crash, was worried their meetings would run long and force them to stay overnight. But things wrapped up, and they made their way to the Wichita airport that afternoon to catch their flight to Reagan National Airport.

“We were super excited she was able to take that flight back,” said David Seidman, Ms. Keys’s longtime partner. “She was coming home.”

They traded a last text before the flight took off: “Safe flight. I love you.”

The Kansans

The only nonstop flight each day between Wichita and the capital was Flight 5342, operated by American Eagle.

Bob Schrock, 58

Danielle Davidson, via DTN

The Schrocks regularly made the trip. Their roots and large farm were in Kiowa, Kan., but after their daughter, Ellie, moved east for college, the Schrocks bought a home in Maryland and began splitting their time between the Plains and the coast, friends said.

“They flew back a dozen times a year or so,” said Michael Simpson, who had known the Schrocks for 20 years.

He said the couple were devoted to their Catholic faith and to fitness. They were regulars at Sunday services and also at a local weight room, where they would pull up together in their turquoise Jeep for morning workouts.

“They loved the Lord,” Mr. Simpson said. “They loved their community.”

Grace Maxwell, 20

via Cedarville University

Ms. Duggins grew up and attended college in Wichita before heading east to Harvard Law School and starting a career as a civil rights lawyer. She returned to Kansas often to see her parents and visit old friends and professors, who remembered her as a “beacon of light” who was passionate about tackling inequalities and abuses in the criminal justice system.

“She was going to conquer the world,” said Dorothy Harpool, a senior marketing educator at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, where Ms. Duggins earned undergraduate degrees in international business, economics and Spanish.

The Flight Crews

Flying was both a job and a passion for the two pilots and two crew members aboard the nonstop flight from Wichita that had been operating for just a year. The flight crew included:

Mr. Campos had wanted to fly since he was a toddler, said his aunt, Beverly Lane.

“I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird,” she said.

Mr. Lilley was engaged to be married in the fall.

“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” his father, Timothy Lilley, wrote on Facebook after the crash. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”

The three aviators from the helicopter who were identified by the Army:

Skaters, Parents and Coaches

The plane carried talented and ambitious young skaters from around the country. They had been in Wichita for a development camp hosted by U.S. Figure Skating that followed last month’s national championships.

Many of the young skaters dreamed of competing at the Olympics, and Wichita was a place to make lasting impressions on coaches with U.S. Figure Skating. Edward Zhou, a high school junior from Fairfax, Va., had been on the cusp of qualifying for the U.S. national championships and both gleefully and masterfully performed routines at the camp, according to coaches there. Both his parents died in the crash.

Edward Zhou, 16, Kaiyan Mao, 52, and Yu Zhou, 60

Another teenager from Northern Virginia, Cory Haynos, nailed the triple axel in Wichita and was thrilled to show off his new jump. In December, he had landed that axel for the first time.

“I’d been watching him work on it all week, just fighting to do it,” said Mark Mitchell, one of the U.S. Figure Skating coaches at the camp. “So when I saw him, I just said, ‘Oh, my gosh! Cory just landed the triple axel!’ And he was so happy, just so happy.”

Cory’s parents were accompanying their son.

Olivia Eve Ter excelled on the ice. She was a powerful jumper and had started traveling out of state to compete, propelled by dreams of becoming an Olympian. Her mother, Olesya Taylor, was born in Ukraine and grew up in northern Russia, and believed in taking advantage of every opportunity available to her children in the United States, her husband, Andrey Ter, said. The mother and daughter were on the flight together, returning home to Virginia.

“My wife had no rest,” Mr. Ter said. “She moved so fast, and it all stopped on Wednesday.”

The Skating Club of Boston, in Norwood, Mass., confirmed that two of its coaches were killed in the crash, along with two of their skating students and the mothers of the skaters.

Yevgeniya Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55

Stewart Fraser/Colorsport, via Shutterstock

Jinna Han, 13

The Skating Club of Boston

Spencer Lane, 16

The Skating Club of Boston

Most of the young skaters on the plane had been in the top group at the camp. They were the “very best young skaters,” Sam Auxier, interim chief executive of U.S. Figure Skating, said, adding, “A key part of the young skating family is gone.” Among them were Sean Kay and Angela Yang, an ice dancing pair from Delaware that had been undefeated in the juvenile division this year. Both 11 and traveling with their mothers and their coach, they were two of the youngest passengers on the plane.

Sean Kay, 11, and Yulia Kay, 42

Sasha Kirsanov, 46

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Some of the athletes loved skating so much that their parents could hardly keep them off the ice. In addition to hours of training for U.S. Figure Skating events, the Livingston sisters, Everly and Alydia, performed for the public in outdoor events on some weekends and holidays. “Some competitors didn’t want to skate on outdoor rinks, but the girls were always up for having fun,” said Tara Modlin-Maurizi, a skating agent who produced some of those performances. The girls had traveled to Wichita with their parents, and the four were on their way home to Northern Virginia when the plane crashed.

Alydia Livingston, 11, and Everly Livingston, 14

Donna Smojice Livingston, 48, and Peter Livingston, 48

Brielle Beyer survived cancer when she was just a baby and grew into a tough skater, her coach, Kalle Strid, said. “Sometimes she would get mad at me if we didn’t try the more difficult things,” he said. “She was an extraordinary talent.”

Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42

The Hunters

Duck hunting season was almost over in Kansas when the group from Southern Maryland arrived at Fowl Plains, a hunting outfitter that offers guided trips.

The men, many who worked in plumbing and steamfitting, were thrilled to be there, eager to hunt ducks and geese. Some had known each other since childhood, part of a tight-knit community south of Washington.

Mr. Stovall was a steamfitter by trade, a Baltimore Orioles fan and an avid outdoorsman, hunter and snowboarder. His Facebook page was full of photos from his adventures with his wife, son and friends.

Mr. Pitcher knew the men through work, his father, Jameson Pitcher, said.

The elder Mr. Pitcher said his son owned a plumbing business and had been married just over a year. Jesse Pitcher and his wife, Kylie, were in the process of building a new house.

“He was just getting started with life,” his father said.

From Abroad

The flight also carried passengers from other countries.

Pergentino Malabed Jr., 51

A colonel in the Philippines National Police, Mr. Malabed had been on a work trip to test out armored vests. His wife, Rio, recalled how their 3-year-old daughter had been crying as she held her father’s hand outside the Manila airport. His wife said he had kissed the girl and told her, “I’ll see you soon.”

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Business

Erewhon and others shut by fire set to reopen in Pacific Palisades mall

Published

39 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Erewhon and others shut by fire set to reopen in Pacific Palisades mall

Fancy grocer Erewhon will return to Pacific Palisades in an entirely rebuilt store, as the neighborhood’s luxury mall, owned by developer Rick Caruso, undergoes renovations for a reopening next August.

Palisades Village has been closed since the Jan. 7 wildfire destroyed much of the neighborhood. The outdoor mall survived the blaze but needed to be refurbished to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread, Caruso said.

The developer is spending $60 million to bring back Palisades Village, removing and replacing drywall from stores and restaurants. Dirt from the outdoor areas is also being replaced.

Demolition is complete and the tenants’ spaces are now being restored, Caruso said.

“It was not a requirement to do that from a scientific standpoint,” he said. “But it was important to me to be able to tell guests that the property is safe and clean.”

Erewhon’s store was taken down to the studs and is being reconfigured with a larger outdoor seating area for dining and events.

When it opens its doors sometime next year, it will be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood.

The announcement of Erewhon’s comeback marks a milestone in the recovery of Pacific Palisades and signals renewed investment in restoring essential neighborhood services and supporting the community’s long-term economic health, Caruso said.

A photograph of the exterior of Erewhon in Pacific Palisades in 2024.

(Kailyn Brown/Los Angeles Times)

“They are one of the sexiest supermarkets in the world now and they are in high demand,” he said. “Their committing to reopening is a big statement on the future of the Palisades and their belief that it’s going to be back stronger than ever.”

Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction. The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon.

“We’re honored to join the incredible effort underway at Palisades Village,” Erewhon Chief Executive Tony Antoci said in a statement. “Reopening is a meaningful way for us to contribute to the healing and renewal of this neighborhood.”

Erewhon has cultivated a following of shoppers who visit daily to grab a prepared meal or one of its celebrity-backed $20 smoothies.

The privately held company doesn’t share financial figures, but has said its all-day cafes occupy roughly 30% of its floor space and serve 100,000 customers each week.

Erewhon has also branched out beyond selling groceries.

Its fast-growing private-label line now includes Erewhon-branded apparel, bags, candles, nutritional supplements and bath and body products.

Erewhon will also open new stores in West Hollywood in February, in Glendale in May and at Caruso’s The Lakes at Thousand Oaks mall in July 2026.

About 90% of the tenants are expected to return to the mall when it reopens, Caruso said, including restaurants Angelini Ristorante & Bar and Hank’s. Local chef Nancy Silverton has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto.

In May, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street in the inferno.

Fashion designer Elyse Walker announced the reopening of her flagship store

“People who live in the Palisades don’t want to leave,” Walker said at the time. “It’s a magical place.”

Caruso carried on annual holiday traditions at Palisades Village this year, including the lighting of a 50-foot Christmas tree for hundreds of celebrants Dec. 5. On Sunday evening, leaders from the Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades gathered at the mall to light a towering menorah.

A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Caruso said he hopes the shopping center’s revival will inspire residents to return. His investment “shows my belief that the community is coming back,” he said. “Next year is going to be huge.”

Business

How the ‘Wicked’ Movies Boosted the Musical’s Broadway Sales

Published

11 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

How the ‘Wicked’ Movies Boosted the Musical’s Broadway Sales

Oct. 30, 2003

Broadway Opening

Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel in the Broadway debut of “Wicked” at the Gershwin Theater.

“Wicked” is an undisputed juggernaut — one of the biggest productions in musical theater history. The stage show, by the composer Stephen Schwartz and the librettist Winnie Holzman, has grossed $1.8 billion on Broadway, and $6.2 billion globally. Worldwide, it has been seen by more than 72 million people.

But none of that was a foregone conclusion. Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, which in turn was based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the musical had a so-so reception during its pre-Broadway run in San Francisco in the spring of 2003. In New York that fall, it divided critics when it opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater, starring Idina Menzel as the green-skinned “wicked witch,” Elphaba, and Kristin Chenoweth as her frenemy, Glinda, a.k.a. the Good Witch of the South. (“There’s Trouble in Emerald City” was the headline on the review in The New York Times.)

“You wake up the morning after opening night, and some of those notices were pretty devastating, and you think, ‘Oh, well, this is the final word,’” Mantello said. “But then the audiences are telling you a completely different story.”

Menzel performed “Defying Gravity” at the 2004 Tony Awards, and took home the prize for best leading actress in a musical.

The production pretty quickly became a fan favorite, and over the years, audiences made the show their own. The “Wizard of Oz” base was, of course, a huge factor — the 1939 film is a much-loved American classic — but, also, the musical’s depiction of female friendship became a central part of its allure, and kept audiences returning for repeat viewings.

March 23, 2006

1,000th Broadway Performance

“Once word kicked in, it took on a life that none of us could have ever predicted,” Mantello said. “It was the audience, and not a critical consensus, that turned it into the hit that it became.”

It’s a hit! Fans waiting for Menzel’s autograph outside the Gershwin Theater in May 2004.

Menzel, the original Elphaba, won a Tony Award for best leading actress in a musical in 2004. In 2005, the day before her final performance, she fell through a trap door onstage; she couldn’t perform at her last show, but made a cameo in a red tracksuit.

Sept. 27, 2006

‘Wicked’ International

The show expanded rapidly, and now has a global footprint. The London production opened in September 2006, after the prior year’s introduction of a North American tour and a production in Chicago, where it ran for three and a half years. Los Angeles, Japan and Germany began in 2007; and Australia in 2008. In the years since, productions have run in the Netherlands, Mexico, South Korea and Brazil; productions are still running in London and South Korea, and touring in North America.

A South Korean production featured, in 2016, Jeong Sun-ah and Cha Ji-yeon.

Oct. 30, 2018

Another Milestone: 15 Years

The 15th anniversary cast included Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda and Jessica Vosk as Elphaba.

In 2018, the show celebrated its 15th anniversary, a milestone achieved by few shows. And “Wicked” has continued to outpace its peers: It has since become the fourth-longest-running production in Broadway history, following “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Chicago” and the top-grossing show, “The Lion King.”

Sept. 14, 2021

‘Wicked’ Reopens After the Shutdown

The show reopened with Ginna Claire Mason as Glinda.

Broadway shows were closed from the spring of 2020 through the fall of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In August 2021, the touring production of “Wicked” restarted in Dallas — the first Broadway touring production to do so — and in September 2021 “Wicked” reopened on Broadway.

Dec. 7, 2022

Yes, We’re Making a Movie

The idea of adapting “Wicked” for the screen goes way back. In fact, it predates the stage musical. Universal Pictures had optioned the novel but couldn’t figure out how to turn it into a film, and agreed to let Schwartz, working with Holzman, develop it into a stage musical first. (Universal didn’t miss out; it is one of the lead producers of the stage musical, along with Marc Platt and David Stone.)

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande rehearsing “Popular” in September 2022.

Once the stage production became a ginormous hit, the film adaptation was an inevitability, but still there were false starts, abandoned schedules and creative-team overhauls along the way. News coverage of a film adaptation began in 2010; at one point, the director Stephen Daldry was attached and a 2019 release was announced; in 2021 Jon M. Chu became the director, and the next year he said it would be split into two films.

Grande and Erivo had both become fans via the stage show. Grande saw it with her grandmother on Broadway in 2004 (and met Chenoweth backstage); Erivo saw the London production when she was a student.

Feb. 11, 2024

Marketing Saturation

The “Wicked” films’ rollout began in earnest in early 2024, with a trailer that ran during the Super Bowl, and the actresses were ubiquitous throughout that year, including in promotional spots that aired during the Paris Summer Olympics. (NBC Universal, the parent company of Universal Pictures, has the American broadcasting right to the Games.)

The marketing budgets for most Hollywood films are vastly larger than those for Broadway shows. In this case, because there are two films — one released last year and one released last month — the marketing campaigns, as well as publicity and news coverage, was doubled. The films had an estimated marketing budget of at least $125 million each — or $250 million total — along with the numerous brand partnerships that also generated a ton of attention. By contrast, the Broadway show has an annual marketing budget of about $11 million.

Nov. 22, 2024

‘Wicked: Part I’ U.S. Theatrical Release

The movies’ effect on the stage production was significant. In 2023, “Wicked” grossed $97.85 million on Broadway; in 2024 it was up nearly 15 percent, to $112.13 million, and this year it expects to be up another 13.4 percent, to $127.3 million.

The show says the effect in London has also been sizable: It expects London “Wicked” grosses this year to be up 29.4 percent over last year, and last year the grosses were up 10.5 percent over the previous year. (The show also holds a record for the highest weekly grosses in West End history, set this year during the week that included New Year’s Day.)

“It’s amazing,” Schwartz said in an interview. “Before the movies came out, I wondered what the impact would be on the show. I don’t think any of us anticipated how strong it would be. You can never plan on this kind of thing, or even hope for it, but it’s really lovely.”

Dec. 25, 2024

$5 Million on Broadway

Actors don harnesses and elaborate wings to portray the flying monkeys who become Elphaba’s allies.

The Broadway production of “Wicked” grossed $5 million over Christmas week last year (just a month after the first film’s release) — it is the first and only Broadway show to gross that much in a single week. (It was also the first show to cross the $2 million mark and the $3 million mark.)

Nov. 21, 2025

‘Wicked: For Good’ U.S. Theatrical Release

What’s next? The second movie was released just before Thanksgiving, giving a second surge for “Wicked” in all its forms, and now the year looks to be ending strong for the stage show. The Broadway production grossed more than $3 million over Thanksgiving week (by comparison, it had generally been grossing $2.3 million to $2.5 million during Thanksgiving weeks that preceded the films’ release). Just around the corner: the Christmas and New Year’s stretch, always a good period for Broadway, and this year, even more so for “Wicked.”

Broadway grosses reflect the most recent box office receipts as reported by the Broadway League. Grosses are not adjusted for inflation.

Images: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times and Universal Pictures.

Videos: CBS; Wicked Musical Korea; Broadway.com; Theater Mania; Ariana Grande; Pink News; Out; FOX; NBC; Universal Pictures.

Produced by Leo Dominguez, Hollis Johnson, Rebecca Lieberman and Josephine Sedgwick. Additional reporting by Leo Dominguez and Jeremy Singer-Vine.

Business

Senators dig into FCC chairman’s role in Jimmy Kimmel controversy

Published

13 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Senators dig into FCC chairman’s role in Jimmy Kimmel controversy

U.S. senators peppered Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr with questions during a wide-ranging hearing exploring media censorship, the FCC’s oversight and Carr’s alleged intimidation tactics during the firestorm over ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s comments earlier this fall.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called Wednesday’s hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee following the furor over ABC’s brief suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” amid social media backlash over Kimmel’s remarks in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Walt Disney Co. leaders yanked Kimmel off the air Sept. 17, hours after Carr suggested that Disney-owned ABC should punish the late-night comedian for his remarks — or face FCC scrutiny. Soon, two major TV station groups announced that they were pulling Kimmel’s show, although both reinstated the program several days after ABC resumed production.

Progressives were riled by the President Trump-appointed chairman’s seeming willingness to go after broadcasters in an alleged violation of their First Amendment rights. At the time, a few fellow Republicans, including Cruz, blasted Carr for suggesting to ABC: “We can do this the easy way or hard way.”

Cruz, in September, said that Carr’s comments belonged in the mob movie “Goodfellas.”

On Wednesday, Carr said his comments about Kimmel were not intended as threats against Disney or the two ABC-affiliated station groups that preempted Kimmel’s show.

The chairman argued the FCC had statutory authority to make sure that TV stations acted in the public interest, although Carr did not clarify how one jumbled sentence in Kimmel’s Sept. 15 monologue violated the broadcasters’ obligation to serve its communities.

Cruz was conciliatory Wednesday, praising Carr’s work in his first year as FCC chairman. However, Democrats on the panel attempted to pivot much of the three-hour session into a public airing of the Trump administration’s desire to punish broadcasters whom the president doesn’t like — and Carr’s seeming willingness to go along.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called Wednesday’s Senate committee hearing.

(Associated Press)

Carr was challenged by numerous Democrats who suggested he was demonstrating fealty to the president rather than running the FCC as an independent licensing body.

Despite the landmark Communications Act of 1934, which created the FCC, the agency isn’t exactly independent, Carr and fellow Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty testified.

The two Republicans said because Trump has the power to hire and fire commissioners, the FCC was more akin to other agencies within the federal government.

“Then is President Trump your boss?” asked Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.). The senator then asked Carr whether he remembered his oath of office. Federal officials, including Carr, have sworn to protect the Constitution.

“The American people are your boss,” Kim said. “Have you ever had a conversation with the president or senior administration officials about using the FCC to go after critics?”

Carr declined to answer.

Protesters outside the Jimmy Kimmel Theater in September 2025.

The lone Democrat on the FCC, Anna M. Gomez, was frequently at odds with her fellow commissioners, including during an exploration of whether she felt the FCC was doing Trump’s bidding in its approach to merger approvals.

Trump separately continued his rant on media organizations he doesn’t like, writing in a Truth Social post that NBC News “should be ashamed of themselves in allowing garbage ‘interviews’” of his political rivals, in this case Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

Trump wrote that NBC and other broadcasters should pay “significant amounts of money for using the very valuable” public airwaves.

Earlier this year, FCC approval of the Larry Ellison family’s takeover of Paramount stalled for months until Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over his grievances with edits of a CBS “60 Minutes” pre-election interview with Kamala Harris.

“Without a doubt, the FCC is leveraging its authority over mergers and enforcement proceedings in order to influence content,” Gomez said.

Parts of the hearing devolved into partisan bickering over whether Democrats or Republicans had a worse track record of trampling on the 1st Amendment. Cruz and other Republicans referenced a 2018 letter, signed by three Democrats on the committee, which asked the FCC to investigate conservative TV station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group.

“Suddenly Democrats have discovered the 1st Amendment,” Cruz said. “Maybe remember it when Democrats are in power. The 1st Amendment is not a one-way license for one team to abuse the power.

“We should respect the free speech of all Americans, regardless of party,” Cruz said.