Article Text
The bodies of all 67 people killed in the Jan. 29 collision between American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter have been recovered and identified, officials announced Wednesday.
Among the victims were Alexandria residents Olivia Eve Ter, 12, and her mother, Olesya Taylor. Taylor, who had worked as a pediatrician in her native Ukraine, texted her husband, Andrew Ter, just one minute before the fatal crash.
Taylor also leaves behind her mother, Olga, and daughter, Anne Valerie. Alla Levin, who organized a GoFundMe for the family, said the deaths have left Anne Valerie without her mother and sister, while Olga is grieving both a daughter and granddaughter.
“This family was built on love, and now they are left with an unimaginable void,” Levin said.
The Unified Command called the recovery and identification of every victim a significant step toward bringing closure to the families and community.
Dozens of local emergency workers assisted with the response. The Alexandria Fire Department sent between 30 and 40 first responders, while Fairfax County Fire and Rescue deployed 22 units or pieces of apparatus and 68 personnel.
The Salvation Army, which is headquartered in Alexandria, also responded. City Cruises, operator of the Alexandria Water Taxi, supported the rescue and recovery work.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer thanked those who entered the river amid ice, wind and dangerous conditions with little notice. He said the National Transportation Safety Board investigation must help federal, Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia officials prevent another such disaster.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expected to remove all major sections of the American Airlines aircraft by Thursday. Crews would then turn to debris scattered across an area extending along the Alexandria waterfront to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
Beyer, whose district includes Reagan National Airport, held a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening at Rivergate City Park in Alexandria. He said the gathering offered the community a place to remember those killed and support their families and friends.
Beyer and other regional officials opposed adding flights at Reagan National during the 2024 Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. At the time, he said the airport’s busiest runway handled far more traffic than the facility was designed to support.
According to Beyer, the airport was built to serve 15 million passengers annually but handled 24 million the previous year—9 million passengers, or 60 percent, above that figure. He warned that additional flights could worsen delays and crew exhaustion while increasing safety risks.
Concerns about expanding air traffic around the airport stretch back decades. In 1991, when the airport marked its 50th anniversary, former Alexandria Mayor Charles Beatley described it as inadequate for sophisticated and even medium-size jets. Beatley, a retired airline pilot, had flown into National for 23 years beginning in 1943.
Olivia was an emerging figure skater returning from Wichita, where skaters had attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and a development camp. She earned silver and gold medals in two events during the season, then placed fourth in the juvenile girls division at the 2025 Eastern Sectional Singles Final, securing an invitation to the National Development Camp.
As recovery work continues, the Unified Command is asking anyone who finds something potentially connected to operations on the Potomac or Anacostia rivers to call 911 and leave the item untouched.