The plane and the helicopter collided mid-air on Wednesday, January 29, shortly before 9 p.m. The tragedy stuck as the American Airlines Flight 5342 was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C.

64 passengers, among which four members of the crew, who were onboard the plane, and three military members who were flying with the helicopter are all believed to be dead.
Emergency services and officials are doing all in their power to retrieve all of the bodies, but the harsh weather conditions and the icy waters of the Potomac River, where the aircraft plummeted add to the difficulty of the mission.

Speaking to ABC News, Beyer revealed that his daughter, Brielle, and her mother, Justyna, were onboard at the time of the crash.

His daughter was a member of the skating group who was returning from U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.

“She was just such a fighter in everything she did,” the devastated father said of his young daughter. “She just lived life to the fullest with everything.”