'Truly no words to capture the depth of our sorrow'

US skating mourns athletes lost in plane crash

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu hugs an attendee at a prayer vigil for victims of the plane crash of the American Eagle flight 5342, at Wichita City Hall, in Wichita, Kansas, US, on Thursday, January 30, 2025

IMAGE: Wichita Mayor Lily Wu hugs an attendee at a prayer vigil for victims of the plane crash of the American Eagle flight 5342, at Wichita City Hall, in Wichita, Kansas, US, on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Photograph: Nick Oxford/Reuters

The US skating community was in mourning on Thursday after learning some of the country's most promising young figure skaters, as well as parents and coaches, were aboard an American Airlines regional passenger plane that crashed near Reagan Washington National Airport.

The plane, carrying 64 passengers and crew, was en route to Washington from Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday when it was involved in a mid-air collision with a U.S. Army helicopter. Officials said they do not believe there were any survivors.

The sport's national governing body said the athletes, coaches and family members on board the flight were returning from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held this year in Kansas.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts," it said in a statement.

The exact number of people on board who were involved in figure skating, or had a family member who was a skater, was uncertain, but media reports said there were at least 14 on the flight.

"We are devastated, and there are truly no words to capture the depth of our sorrow," US Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.

"These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA, embodying the very essence of what it means to represent our country - perseverance, resilience, and hope."

Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan and gold medalist Tenley Albright are greeted as they arrive at the Skating Club of Boston, home of athletes Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, all of whom died in the crash of American Eagle flight 5342 in Washington, DC, in Norwood, Massachusetts, US, on Thursday January 30, 2025

IMAGE: Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan and gold medalist Tenley Albright are greeted as they arrive at the Skating Club of Boston, home of athletes Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, all of whom died in the crash of American Eagle flight 5342 in Washington, DC, in Norwood, Massachusetts, US, on Thursday January 30, 2025. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

The Skating Club of Boston said it lost six individuals from its organisation: athlete Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Han, athlete Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Yevgenia Shishkova, also known as Genia.

Shishkova and Naumov, who were married to each other, won the World Championships in pairs figure skating in 1994, and U.S. media said they had lived in the United States since at least 1998, where they trained young ice skaters.

"Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy. Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together for 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together," the Skating Club of Boston said in a statement.

"Everyone is like family."

Retired Olympian Nancy Kerrigan, who grew up in nearby Stoneham, Massachusetts, told reporters at the Skating Club of Boston, whose ice complex is located in suburban Needham, that she was in shock over the news.

"The kids here really work hard, their parents work hard to be here," said Kerrigan. "I feel for the athletes, the skaters, their families, but anyone that was on that plane - not just the skaters."

Search and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, with the Capitol dome in the background, as seen from Virginia, US, January 30, 2025.

IMAGE: Search and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, with the Capitol dome in the background, as seen from Virginia, US, January 30, 2025. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

Spencer Lane, a 16-year-old from Barrington, Rhode Island, posted photos and videos from the camp on his Instagram account hours before the crash.

"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," he wrote in the caption.

"I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people!"

The teenager later posted a photo of an airplane wing to his Instagram story with the caption "ICT (to) DCA," the airport codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Doug Zeghibe, executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, where Naumov and Shishkova had coached since 2017, told local reporters that the pair were dedicated instructors.

Emergency vehicles leave Gravelly Point, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, US on January 29, 2025

IMAGE: Emergency vehicles leave Gravelly Point, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, US on January 29, 2025. Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

Naumov "loved young kids," said Zeghibe. "You couldn’t see Genia without breaking into a smile."

Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also reported to have been on board, TASS said. She was a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, according to its website.

"We are devastated to hear the news of American Eagle flight 5342. Our thoughts and prayers are with our skating family during this difficult time," Washington Figure Skating Club said in a statement.

US skaters took to social media to mourn the loss of life.

"I'm heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident," 2024 men's singles world champion Ilia Malinin said.

"The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words."