The American figure skating community suffered severe losses on Wednesday night as six people with ties to the Skating Club of Boston were on board a passenger plane when it collided with a U.S. Army helicopter.
Officials said Thursday there were no survivors of the crash and that the mission went from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. Nearly 30 bodies were pulled from the Potomac River.
A U.S. Park Police helicopter flies over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)
The Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe identified those with ties to the club as athletes, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, two coaches, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, and Jin Han, the mother of Jinna, and Molly Lane, the mother of Spencer, were identified as the victims with ties to the skate club.
“Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” Zeghibe said in a statement posted to social media. “Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 of 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family. Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.
LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT
Bodies lie on the ground next to emergency vehicles, near the site of the crash after American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, outside of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
“These athletes, coaches, parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp, following last week’s U.S. Championships in Wichita. This camp is for young competitive skaters of tomorrow with the promise to be a champion of tomorrow. The club sent 18 athletes to compete at the U.S. Championships. It sent 12 athletes to the National Development Camp.”
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, confirmed earlier Thursday that Naumov and Shishkova were among those on board the plane.
Naumov and Shishkova competed in pairs during their careers. They won a pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice.
U.S. Figure Skating said there were members of its organization on board as well.
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.,” the organization said earlier Thursday. “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
The International Skating Union said it was “deeply shocked” over the incident.
Rescuers on boats work as the sun rises at the site of the crash after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342, which was approaching Reagan Washington National Airport, and crashed into the Potomac River, outside Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
“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,” the organization said.
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