A teenage determine skater who was aboard the doomed American Airways flight that got here crashing down in flames Wednesday night time shared her hopes to characterize Crew USA in a video earlier than her tragic loss of life.
Everly Livingston, 14, died alongside her 11-year-old sister Alydia, and their dad and mom, Peter and Donna Livingston, within the mid-air collision between Flight 5342 and an Military Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, DC.
Everly and Alydia, who hailed from Ashburn, Va., have been recognized within the determine skating group because the “Ice Skating Sisters,” and have been returning house from the US Determine Skating Championships in Wichita, Kan. with their fellow skaters on the Nationwide Improvement Camp.
Final yr, the then-13-year-old spoke to FOX5 DC about her accomplishments and her hopes for the longer term on the skating rink.
“My targets are to really be part of Crew USA and journey around the globe,” she says within the heartbreaking video.
The teenager was mentioned to be “shy and reserved” when in comparison with Alydia, nevertheless, she “got here alive on the ice — turning into a sectional champion on the intermediate and juvenile ranges,” in accordance with a tribute shared on Fb.
Each sisters performed an integral half within the Washington Determine Skating Membership and sometimes shared their routines on the ice in clips on social media.
Of their tragic remaining Instagram put up, shared simply 5 days earlier than their premature deaths, the sisters smiled in entrance of an ice rink on the championships in Wichita.
“When you look carefully at Alydia’s badge… We have been born prepared for this,” they captioned the snap. “However is @usfigureskating prepared for this a lot Livingston at Nationals?”
In a separate Instagram put up shared simply hours earlier than the tragedy, Everly’s coach Inna Volyanskaya praised the teenager and her skating associate Franco Aparicio for his or her dedication to the game.
“Congratulations on Everly and Franco for making it to the nationwide improvement camp for his or her second yr,” Volyanskaya wrote.
“So pleased with all their exhausting work and coaching they’ve carried out to get right here. What an incredible option to begin off the yr!”
Everly and Alydia have been amongst 14 members of the US Determine Skating group aboard the flight from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower Nationwide Airport to Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport.
Observe the NYP’s protection of the lethal DC aircraft collision
The Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was making ready to land on Runway 33 at Reagan Nationwide when it collided with the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk 400 ft above the river separating Washington DC and Arlington.
On Thursday, officers mentioned that there aren’t any survivors from the collision. All 60 passengers and 4 crew members aboard the aircraft, together with the three troopers within the helicopter have been killed.
That very same day, US Determine Skating confirmed the skaters, coaches and oldsters have been coming back from the Nationwide Improvement Camp that was held along with the US Determine Skating Championships held in Wichita from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26.
“We’re devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and maintain the victims’ households carefully in our hearts,” the governing physique advised The Put up in an announcement.
