On January 29th, 2025, the unthinkable occurred. American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed over the Potomac River after colliding with a military helicopter, killing all 67 people on board. 28 of those victims were members of the figure skating community-people I knew, people I loved, and people I called friends. One of them, Spencer Lane, I had messaged just hours before he boarded the flight. Though their lives were taken far too soon, their presence did not disappear. Their light shines on brightly through me.

What Happened

American Airlines Flight 5342 was operating a scheduled domestic route on the evening of January 29, 2025, traveling toward the Washington, D.C. area. Among the passengers were members of the figure skating community who were all returning from the 2025 National U.S. Figure Skating Championships as well as the National Development Team training camp, offered to the top athletes in the nation. As the aircraft approached its destination, descending down above the Potomac River, it collided midair with a United States military helicopter conducting an authorized operation. The collision resulted in the immediate loss of the aircraft and the deaths of all 67 people on board. In the hours that followed, the National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense, launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Investigators began reviewing radar data, flight paths, air traffic control communications, and existing operational protocols to determine how two aircraft operating under separate systems came to occupy the same airspace at the same time. Beyond the tragedy itself, the crash raised serious legal and regulatory questions regarding airspace governance, interagency coordination, and the adequacy of current aviation safety frameworks.

What Went Wrong: Legal and Structural Issues

Although the full investigation is still ongoing, the collision points to deeper legal and regulatory weaknesses within the U.S. aviation system. Civilian and military aircraft are often governed by separate chains of command and different operational rules, even when they are flying in the same airspace. This division can create serious gaps in communication and oversight, increasing the risk of catastrophic error, such as the one that occurred on January 29th. Legal experts have previously warned that overlapping authority between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense can make it unclear who is ultimately responsible for preventing accidents and enforcing safety standards. When military aircraft operate near commercial flight paths, questions arise about what additional safety obligations should be required. More importantly, when those safeguards fail, it becomes difficult to determine where legal responsibility lies. This crash raises serious concerns about whether current aviation laws are prepared to address modern airspace risks or whether they rely too heavily on the assumption that such failures are unlikely to occur.

Global Response 

The reaction to the crash was immediate and global. Leaders from government, aviation authorities, and international sports organizations issued statements of mourning, while communities across the world held vigils for the victims. At IceWorks Arena in Syosset, New York, I organized a memorial service to help members of the figure skating community process the tragedy, bringing together athletes, coaches, and parents in collective remembrance. Specifically, within this community, the loss was especially devastating for us all, as entire training groups and future Olympic hopefuls were gone in an instant. Beyond expressions of grief, however, the tragedy prompted calls for accountability. Members of Congress urged greater transparency in the investigation, and media coverage increasingly focused on regulatory failure rather than isolated error. This shift is important from a legal standpoint. Public pressure often drives change by forcing institutions to reconsider policies that might otherwise stay the same. In this case, shared grief turned into a wider call for accountability and reform.

Policy Reform, Prevention, and Personal Responsibility

After a loss of this magnitude, the most meaningful response is prevention. From a legal perspective, this requires reexamining and strengthening rules that govern shared airspace, improving communication between civilian air traffic control and military operations, and increasing transparency between agencies. It may also mean holding institutions more clearly accountable when regulatory failures occur, rather than limiting consequences to internal reviews. Beyond policy changes, this tragedy highlights the role of legal advocates, researchers, and future lawmakers in questioning systems that are often left unchallenged. For me, this work is deeply personal. The people who were lost were not numbers; they were friends, mentors, and vital members of the figure skating family. Their discipline and passion did not end with the crash. By working to understand what went wrong and advocating for stronger protections, I aim to turn loss into reform. Their light continues through me and through the change this tragedy calls for.