Families gathered on Monday night in Alexandria, Virginia, to inaugurate a new memorial nearly a year and a half after 67 of their loved ones died in a mid-air collision over the Potomac River.“My son Peter, his wife Donna, and their girls, Everly and Alydia, were on the plane,” Martha Livingston told DC News Now. “They were elite skaters. They were beautiful. And we miss them. And we appreciate the city of Alexandria honoring them and remembering them in this way.”In January 2025, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Among the deceased were 28 athletes, coaches, and family members returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
The memorial, in Alexandria’s Rivergate City Park, includes a plaque and four commemorative benches. The benches face the Potomac River, where investigators spent days scouring for wreckage.
“[Victims’] lives—filled with promise, purpose, and love—were taken too soon, leaving families, friends, and communities forever changed,” the memorial’s plaque reads. “This place of reflection also honors the courage and dedication of the first responders who rushed to the scene, working tirelessly in the face of unimaginable loss.”
