U.S. Figure Skaters Were Aboard Plane That Crashed Near Washington D.C.

Six members from the Skating Club of Boston and 14 members of the figure skating community overall from U.S. Figure Skating and internationally were killed when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the Potomac River.

Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, The Associated Press reported, along with 1994 pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The victims were coming back from a national development camp following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Zeghibe said.

The Kremlin also confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard. They moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center in Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club that has served as a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912.

Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion who finished fourth in the men’s competition Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita; he flew home Monday with Zeghibe, The Associated Press reported.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”

Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter are presumed dead after the collision in Washington on Wednesday night. There was no immediate cause identified, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.

“These kids and their parents, they’re here at our facility in Norwood, six, sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community.”

The Skating Club of Boston, which is set to host the world championships in March, is among the best-known clubs in the world, producing two Olympic gold medalists and even more world champions. Among them have been two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, Olympic gold medalist Tenley Albright, two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan and Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie.

For the Boston club, the accident was an eerie reminder of a 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. delegation en route to the world championships in Prague. The world championships were canceled that year out of respect for the American team killed in the crash.

“The International Skating Union (ISU) and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. last night,” the international federation said in a statement. “We are heartbroken to learn that Figure Skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family—and we stand together. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Skating Club of Boston sent 18 skaters to Wichita, including Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday. On Wednesday, he had posted a video showing him doing a triple toe loop to wrap up the development camp.

“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in November. It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people,” Lane had said in an Instagram post Wednesday.

He later posted a photo of him aboard the plane just before it departed from Wichita.