Reports Say Members Of Team USA Figure Skating Team Were Aboard Flight Involved In Collision

This is the kind of tragedy that just takes your breath away. In an instant, an unimaginable loss has rocked not just the figure skating world, but families, friends, and entire communities across the country.

Six members of the Skating Club of Boston, including two young athletes, two highly respected coaches, and two devoted parents, were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided mid-air with a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River on Wednesday night. Officials have now confirmed there were no survivors, and with nearly 30 bodies recovered from the water, the search has shifted from a rescue to a recovery operation.

Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, put it plainly: “Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy.”

And he’s right—this isn’t just a tragedy for one club, or even just for U.S. Figure Skating. This is the kind of heartbreak that shakes an entire sport to its core.

Among those lost were two rising stars, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, who had been training at the National Development Camp following last week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. The camp is designed for young, promising skaters—the kind who could one day be standing on Olympic podiums. They had their whole careers ahead of them.

Their mothers, Jin Han and Molly Lane, were traveling with them—supporting them the way skating parents do, investing endless hours, energy, and sacrifice into their children’s dreams. And then there were the coaches, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova—former world champions, Olympians, and mentors to so many skaters over the years. Their influence stretched far beyond the rink.

The Kremlin even weighed in, confirming that Naumov and Shishkova, who competed for Russia before becoming fixtures in the U.S. skating world, were among those lost. Their legacy in pairs skating was profound—they won the 1994 World Championship together and competed at two Winter Olympics.

The reaction from the skating community has been one of absolute devastation.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that members of its organization were on board, saying, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”

The International Skating Union echoed the sentiment, calling the crash “deeply shocking” and reminding everyone that figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family.

And that’s the heartbreaking reality of it. Figure skating isn’t just a competition—it’s a world of long hours, early mornings, and relentless dedication. It’s a sport where athletes, parents, and coaches become more than just teammates and colleagues—they become family.

This is a loss that will be felt far beyond one competition or one rink. It will leave a hole in the sport, in the lives of those who trained alongside them, and in the hearts of everyone who knew them.

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