- Justyna Beyer, 42, and her 12-year-old daughter Brielle were onboard American Airlines flight 5342 when it crashed on Wednesday, Jan. 29
- The mother-daughter duo were returning to Washington D.C. after attending the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas
- Justyna’s husband and Brielle’s father Andy Beyer remembered his daughter, who beat cancer at just 4 months old, as someone who “lived life to the fullest”
A man’s wife and 12-year-old daughter, who survived cancer as a baby, were among the victims in the American Airlines tragedy.
In an interview with ABC News, Andy Beyer opened up about losing his daughter Brielle and her mother Justyna, 42, in the crash after American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. over the Potomac River at around 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Brielle was among multiple young skaters heading back to D.C. with their moms after attending the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.
Andy told the outlet how the 12-year-old, who was a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia, faced cancer at just 4 months old.
“She was just such a fighter in everything she did,” he said, adding, “She just lived life to the fullest with everything.”
Andy continued of his daughter’s skating accomplishments, “She was so proud of herself in figure skating for the progress she had made … Making that team was one of her life goals. And she achieved it. And she was just so, so proud of herself.”
He said he’ll miss Brielle’s “beautiful singing voice,” telling the outlet, “She just lit up the house with her wonderful voice.”
Justyna and Brielle Beyer. GoFundMe
Recalling the moment he found out about the tragedy, Andy told ABC News he’d been going to pick his wife and daughter up from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with the couple’s 6-year-old son.
“When it was time for the plane to land, they hadn’t landed [and] we couldn’t get text messages through,” he said, adding that he’d seen “all the fire trucks and everything.”
An air traffic controller friend then confirmed to him that it was Brielle and Justyna’s flight that had crashed.
“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,” Andy told the outlet.
A GoFundMe set up to support Andy and his son by friends of the family had raised over $11,000, as of the morning of Friday, Jan. 31. The page describes Brielle and Justyna’s passing as an “unimaginable loss” and says Justyna was a “devoted mother” who “sacrificed so much to provide for Brielle’s future as an Olympic figure skater.”
Andy Beyer. ABC News/Youtube
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
There were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard the aircraft, according to a statement from American Airlines. There were three soldiers onboard the helicopter, per CNN.
During a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 30, Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said that they were switching from a “search and rescue operation” for the passengers on both flights to a “recovery” operation.
“At this point we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” Donnelly said.
The Skating Club of Boston’s CEO, Doug Zeghibe, said at a press conference on Thursday that there were 14 U.S. figure skaters onboard the jet, including six members of his club.
