D.C. plane crash victims include young figure skaters: ‘Horrific’

Two young fig skaters, on with their mothers and coaches, are among those killed in the deadly level crash that occurred erstwhile an American Airlines formation collided with a Black Hawk subject chopper portion connected attack adjacent Washington, D.C., Wednesday night.

The Skating Club of Boston said Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, on with their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were connected committee the flight.

Both skaters had been attending a nationalist improvement campy successful Wichita, Kansas, which had followed the U.S. Figure Skating nationalist title this past weekend.

A full of 60 passengers and 4 unit members were connected committee the American Airlines formation and 3 soldiers aboard a grooming formation connected a Black Hawk chopper are presumed dead, officials told reporters Thursday morning.

U.S. President Donald Trump connected Thursday said “there are nary survivors.”

Lane was champion astatine the 2025 intermediate eastbound sectionals champion and had go fashionable connected societal media successful the skating community, with thousands of followers connected Instagram and TikTok.

“I americium truthful blessed to person qualified for nationalist improvement campy earlier successful November, it has been my extremity astir ever since I became alert that it was a thing,” Lane wrote successful a station Wednesday afternoon.

“I learned truthful overmuch caller accusation that I tin use to my mundane life, and met truthful galore astonishing people.”

Shortly earlier takeoff, Lane posted a communicative connected his Instagram which showed the helping of a level with the words indicating the airdrome codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), alluding to the formation path.

Han was described arsenic an Olympic hopeful successful 2022 American media sum of her skating career.

She placed second successful the Novice Women’s Short Program 2 months agone astatine the 2025 Eastern Sectional Singles Final portion representing the Skating Club of Boston.

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During a property league connected Thursday morning, Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the skating club, spoke astir the “pretty horrific tragedy.”

“Skating is simply a precise adjacent and tight-knit community,” helium said.

“Six is simply a horrific fig for us, but we’re fortunate and grateful it wasn’t much than six. This volition person long, reaching impacts for our skating community.”

Zeghibe noted it’s not the archetypal nonaccomplishment for the Boston club, referencing the 1961 level clang that killed the full U.S. delegation connected its mode to the satellite championships successful Prague. He told reporters astir fractional of those connected the level were portion of the club.

He said that clang besides had “long-reaching implications” for the nine and sport.

“When you suffer coaches similar this, you suffer the aboriginal of the athletics arsenic well,” helium said. “I personally consciousness that this club, the Skating Club of Boston, is conscionable present 60 years aboriginal been coming retired of the shadiness of that 1961 crash.”

Shishkova and Naurov moved to the U.S. aft winning the 1994 pairs satellite title and became coaches, archetypal astatine the International Skating Center successful Connecticut and person been astatine the Boston nine since 2017, which has been a grooming crushed for world-class skaters since 1912.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were connected the flight, on with respective skaters, coaches and household members.

“We are heartbroken to larn that fig skaters, on with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to beryllium among those connected board,” U.S. Figure Skating said successful a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

—with files from The Associated Press and Global News’ Katie Scott