Several U.S. Figure Skaters Among Victims of Deadly Washington D.C. Plane Crash
Fourteen U.S. figure skaters were on board American Eagle Flight 5342.
Published Jan. 30 2025, 12:38 p.m. ET
On Jan. 29, 2025, tragedy struck when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided mid-air with a United States Army helicopter, which was conducting a routine training flight. Tragically, all 67 people aboard both aircraft are believed to have died in the horrific crash.
According to several reports, a total of 14 U.S. figure skaters were among the passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342. Here's what you need to know.
Several figure skaters are reported to have died in the Washington D.C. plane crash.
Within three hours of the collision, authorities confirmed fatalities. By the following day, January 30, District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Chief John Donnelly held a press conference and shared that 28 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage.
Among those on board were 14 figure skaters, including six members of The Skating Club of Boston. At a news conference on Thursday, CEO Doug Zeghibe revealed the names of those confirmed dead:
- Spencer Lane
- Christine Lane (Spencer's mom)
- Jinna Han
- Jin Han (Jinna's mom)
- Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov
Spencer posted a photo on his Instagram Story of the plane's wing before take off.
"They're here at our facility in Norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. It's a close, tight bond," Zeghibe said, his voice breaking with emotion during the press conference. "So I think for all of us, we have lost family."
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that several of its athletes, coaches, and family members were on the flight. They were all returning home from the National Development Camp held alongside the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kans.
"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 organization said in a statement to People.
Adding to the devastation, Inna Volyanskaya, a former pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also aboard the flight, as reported by Reuters via Russian news agency TASS.