Kaiyan Mao

Kaiyan Mao (52) tragically passed away on the night of January 29, 2025 after a US Army helicopter collided mid-air with their airplane (AA Flight 5342), mere seconds before they were about to land at the Reagan National Airport. She and her husband, Yu Zhou, were accompanying their son, Edward Zhou, on the return flight from the 2025 US Figure Skating Championships held in Wichita, KS, where Edward was training with fellow elite skaters. Kaiyan, Yu, and Edward were all killed by the devastating collision.
Kaiyan was born on June 15, 1972 in Hangzhou, China. She graduated from Shanghai International Studies University in 1995, majoring in English and American Languages and Literature. From 1995 to 1997, Kaiyan worked at Shanghai Siemens Communications Co., Ltd before she moved to Singapore, where she met her husband, Yu Zhou, while ice skating – little did they know that ice skating would be an integral part of their family for the rest of their lives and the couple got married in 1998 and have been for nearly 27 years. The following year, they moved to the US to pursue graduate education and ultimately start a new life.
Kaiyan graduated from the University of Indiana Bloomington with an MBA in 2002. She lived and worked in Indiana at Bristol-Myers Squibb until 2007, when she found a new opportunity with Dean Foods, which relocated her to Fairfax, VA, where she and Yu would eventually settle and start their family. Kaiyan worked as a financial analyst at ExxonMobil and finally at MITRE. Her coworkers remember her for bringing warmth, generosity, enthusiasm for helping others, and a collaborative spirit to the team.
In 2008, a year after moving to Fairfax, Kaiyan and Yu welcomed a new baby boy, Edward Zhou, to the world, who was the joy of their lives. Kaiyan and Yu were both very supportive of Edward's endeavors in music, martial arts, and especially figure skating, always with him every step of the way.
Kaiyan was a cheerful, optimistic, generous, and beautiful person. Always the life of the party, she could light up any room with her hearty and contagious laughter. Everyone around her knew that her top priority, as a loving mother, was supporting her son's various extracurricular activities. These activities kept her busy, but even so, she loved life and knew how to enjoy it wherever she was. She kept a tidy, warm, and welcoming home, spreading her radiance to all those lucky enough to be in her presence. She had great taste and wasn't afraid to spend money, often splurging on items she liked. All the female relatives would seek and value her opinion on fashion when in doubt. Kaiyan's family recalls her looking back at her photos and saying, "Wow! It looks like we lived a really great life."
Kaiyan is survived by Zhaodi Huang (mother), Huikang Mao (father) and Kaiying Mao (sister), as well as countless other members of her extended family who are devastated by her passing.
A private funeral service will be held for Kaiyan along with her husband and son at the Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home.