The Northern Virginia community embraced the Beyer family as they maintained a position of hope while demonstrating enduring strength.
As a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia Brielle Beyer fought cancer at infancy and used her recovered strength to push herself toward excellence in figure skating when she turned twelve years old.
Her mother Justyna supported her unconditionally at all figure skating competitions while she accompanied her to training sessions.
Brielle achieved her long-awaited dream by attending the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp which took place at Wichita Kansas.
Andy Beyer recalled his daughter was full of joy because of the figure skating advancement she had demonstrated to herself. Her participation on that team stood among her lifetime objectives. And she achieved it. She displayed tremendous pride because of her accomplishments.
Andy together with their six-year-old son waited at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to greet home Justyna and Brielle on January 29th, 2025.
Everyone felt excited about their reunion which turned to worry when the expected flight time surpassed without their appearance.
Andy sent multiple text messages to Justyna which never reached her while his phone calls to her also failed.
Emergency vehicles assembled at the airport while the air became anxious which indicated a problem had arisen.
When his worrying emotions reached critical levels an air traffic controller friend came to inform him about tragic news.
He recounted, “I didn’t have a lot of hope unfortunately, we had a good cry about it right then and there and then we had to go in with the family waiting room and everything before we, hours later, got any official word of what had fully happened.”
The plane crash had only happened very briefly prior to that time.
The U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter clashed mid-flight with American Airlines Flight 5342 while PSA Airlines operated the plane which approached Washington D.C.
Both aircraft structures crashed into the Potomac River water which caused an instant emergency rescue operation to start.
American Airlines flight 5342 was on a journey from Wichita, Kansas to Washington D.C. when it carried 60 passengers together with four crew members.
Survivors did not exist on the two crashed aircraft.
After the accident the nearby community provided unconditional support to the Beyer family.
Andy Beyer and his son received financial support from a GoFundMe campaign set up for their unspecified duration of crisis.
The page describes Justyna as “a devoted mother” who “sacrificed so much to provide for Brielle’s future as an Olympic figure skater.”
According to Andy his daughter left a passionate impact on the world through lifetime determination.
She fought with all her strength in each life challenge she faced. He described her as someone who embraced everything life presented to her by living it in full until the end.
The family and whole community mourn the loss of both Justyna and Brielle because these women cannot be replaced.
The deep sorrow they face gets sustained through preserving both the dutifulness of their mother and the strong-willed attitude of their teenage daughter.
Feature Image Credit: (Instagram/ @memoryofangels)