By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The figure skater community is dealing with broken hearts, as many within their community have passed away. At least 14 U.S. figure skaters, according to People.com, have passed away following the mid-air crash on Wednesday night.
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane near the Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C. The crash was initially reported around 9 pm EST.
The figure skaters and those on the American Airlines plane were departing Wichita, Kansas. There were 60 passengers along with four crew members, the report said, on board the flight.
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Figure skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han were on board the flight, according to The Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe. Also, with them were their mothers Molly Lane and Jin Han.
Two coaches, who previously were Russian world champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were also on board the doomed flight.
“They’re here at our facility in Norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond,” Zeghibe said tearfully at the press conference. “So I think for all of us, we have lost family.”
Reuters is reporting that former figure skater Inna Volyanskaya was also on the flight. The Washington Figure Skating Club had Volyanskaya as a member of their coaching staff, according to People.
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President Donald Trump has said that there were no survivors in the accident. The Associated Press is reporting that 28 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River. The recovery mission is ongoing.
“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.,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “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.”
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