Fourteen U.S. figure skaters were on board the American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter on Wednesday, Jan. 29. According to Doug Zeghibe, CEO of The Skating Club of Boston, six members of The Skating Club of Boston (including two teens and their moms) were on the flight.
The FAA said in a statement that American Airlines flight 5342 crashed into the military aircraft over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after departing from Wichita, Kan. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at around 9 p.m. local time. The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, with officials confirming on Thursday, Jan. 30, that there are no survivors.
The U.S. Figure Skating team confirmed on Thursday that several members of the governing body were onboard the aircraft at the time of the crash; they said in a statement on Thursday morning: “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. 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 Guardian said that also among those killed were former Russian world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov (citing Russian news agencies TASS and RIA). Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, were pairs figure skating world champions who won the title in 1994. The couple, who were married, were thought to have lived in the U.S. since at least 1998 after retiring from their competitive careers, helped to train young ice skaters.
The victims from The Skating Club of Boston have been identified as two teens, Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, their mothers, Molly Lane and Jin Han, and two coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov – former Russian world champions. Per Reuters, Inna Volyanskaya, 59, a former pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also on the plan (citing Russian news agency TASS). According to the Washington Figure Skating Club’s website, Volyanskaya was a coach for the team.
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