A devastating mid-air collision between a commercial plane and a military helicopter over Washington DC, has claimed the lives of 67 people, including two 16-year-old figure skaters, their mothers, and two Russian coaches. The accident has cast a shadow of grief over the skating world.
The young skaters, Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, were associated with a Boston-based skating club. Along with them, their mothers—Christine Lane and Jean Han—and Russian coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the ill-fated flight.
According to Doug Jegib, the executive officer of the Boston club, the group was returning from a training camp connected to the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Wichita, Kansas. “We’ve lost our family,” Jegib stated with deep sorrow.
The accident occurred on Wednesday night when a commercial aircraft collided mid-air with a military helicopter. Reuters reports that at least 30 bodies have been recovered so far.
It is believed that at least 14 passengers on the plane had ties to figure skating. The U.S. Figure Skating Association confirmed that several athletes, coaches, and their families were onboard but did not disclose their identities. The BBC requested a full list of affected skaters, but U.S. Figure Skating has yet to respond.
Authorities, including the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, have launched multiple investigations into the cause of the crash. Search and recovery efforts continue in the icy waters of the Potomac River, where the wreckage remains scattered.
American Airlines confirmed that the commercial aircraft carried 64 passengers, while the military helicopter had three personnel onboard. Further details about the passengers and crew are still emerging.
Among the victims was Sasha Kirsanov, a former coach at the University of Delaware. The university’s president released a statement mourning the loss, also acknowledging two young skaters from the UD Figure Skating Club who were on the flight.
Skating clubs across the country, including the Philadelphia Skating Club and the Skating Club of Northern Virginia, have expressed their grief but refrained from disclosing victims’ names.
Russian news agency TASS reported that former Soviet skater Inna Volyanskaya was also among the casualties.
Boston club executive Doug Jegib described the crash as a “horrific tragedy” and called Spencer Lane “the future of skating.” He noted that both Spencer and Jinna Han were rising stars and leaders within the club.
Coaches Shishkova and Naumov, former world champion pair skaters who won gold in the 1994 World Championships, had retired from competition and later moved to the U.S. to train aspiring skaters.
Liberty News’ international correspondent reports that the tragedy has drawn comparisons to the 1961 plane crash that killed 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team en route to the World Championships in Prague.
LND/BAIZID
