The rotator system on an Army Black Hawk helicopter has four blades. But on board American Eagle Flight No. 5342, there were 22 blades.
22 blades that are better recognized as 11 pairs of figure skates.
Today, all 32 blades, both the skates and the ones atop the helicopter, sit in the Potomac River.
On Jan. 29, 2025, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 60 passengers, four crew members, and three soldiers were killed.
Among the 67 victims were 11 skaters and a total of 28 members of the elite skating community.
Violet Beckman (9) has been figure skating since she was two and a half years old.
“I watched a Christmas show in Ohio, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” she said. “I was like, I want to do that.”
By the time she was eight, Beckman was on a club team training three hours a day, often twice a day.
And from that moment forward, she has dreamt of the Olympics.
“When you’re surrounded by people from a young age who have made it to Nationals and the Olympics, it’s obvious that it’s your dream,” Beckman said.
But in order to make the Olympics, there are several steps that come first. Every year, talented young skaters are selected for various national summer camps, but the most elite of all are selected to be on the National Development Team.
“The National Development Team is usually where the scouts are,” Beckman said. “They look at kids to invite to the Junior Olympics and different internationals across the world. If they are old enough and they believe that they have enough potential, then they will keep them on their radar and see how they go until an Olympic year comes around.”
Beckman has been offered several opportunities to attend international competitions, including one she will be attending this March, but she has yet to make the National Development Team. She missed it by just two spots this year.
However, on Jan. 29, the national team was left reeling. Seven skaters on the team who had been competing at a camp in Wichita, Kansas were among those lost in the fatal plane crash that night.
Everly Livingston was 14 years old, a member of the Washington Figure Skating Club, and competed around the world.
Beckman was placed in the same group as Livingston at one of the camps she attended this summer.
Spencer Lane was 16 years old, a member of the Skating Club of Boston, and had thousands of social media followers.
“My friend Brandon was very good friends with Spencer Lane,” Beckman said. “He had only skated for two years and already had, like, a triple axel. He was crazy.”
The deaths of Lane, Livingston, and the 26 other members of the professional skating community were felt by far more than their immediate friends and family.
“It’s just a super close-knit community,” Beckman said. “Since it’s not a super popular and mainstream sport, it’s really easy to make friends that are from everywhere, because there’s just not a lot of kids.”
The Monday after the accident, a nationwide moment of silence was held in all ice rinks across the country to recognize the loss.
“People take things like this differently,” Beckman said. “So there were some people who were in tears and some people who were trying to stay strong. It’s weird just to see all your coaches in tears, and all your teammates trying to stay strong.”
All six skaters had been dedicated to making a future Olympic team—and they were well on their way. The loss of their talent will almost certainly affect team USA.
“It definitely took its toll on future Olympics and nationals,” Beckman said. “It kind of made me step back and realize how much opportunity I have in the sport.”
Thousands of people are mourning the loss of these young, talented individuals. However, in tragedy, Beckman has managed to find inspiration.
“It kind of motivated me to skate a little more for them,” she said. “It made me want to aspire a little higher, because they can’t.”
