‘Horrific tragedy’: 6 people with ties to Mass. figure skating club killed in midair collision

NORWOOD, Mass. — Six people with ties to a Massachusetts figure skating club were aboard an American Airlines plane that was involved in a deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.

Army helicopter, plane crash: See impact caught on video, hear air traffic control (graphic warning)

Two figure skating coaches for the Skating Club of Boston, two teenage figure skaters, and the mothers of the skaters were on the plane when it collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, sending the aircraft wreckage plummeting into the icy Potomac River.

The coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed twice in the Olympics.

Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, confirmed they were also coaches at the Norwood-based group.

WATCH LIVE: Skating Club of Boston speaking after plane with members aboard crashes in DC.
WATCH LIVE: Skating Club of Boston speaking after plane with members aboard crashes in DC.
Posted by Boston 25 News on Thursday, January 30, 2025

Zeghibe identified the figure skaters as 16-year-old Spencer Lane of Barrington, Rhode Island, and 13-year-old Jinna Han, of Mansfield, Massachusetts. He identified their mothers as Christine Lane and Jin Han.

Zeghibe called the deadly incident a “pretty horrific tragedy,” noting that a total of 14 skaters were returning home from a U.S. Figuring Skating national development camp in Wichita, Kansas, when the plane crashed.

“Of those 14 skaters, six were from The Skating Club of Boston. Two coaches, two teenage athletes, and the athletes’ moms,” Zeghibe said. “Skating is a very close and tight-knit community. These kids and their parents are here at our facility here in Norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond. I think for all of us, we have lost family.”

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Zeghibe said the Skating Club of Boston sent a total of 18 skaters to compete at the U.S. Championships in Wichita and 12 were at the national development camp.

“Six is a horrific number for us, but were fortunate and grateful it wasn’t more than six,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long, reaching impacts on our skating community.

Zeghibe called Spencer Lane and Jinna Han the “future of the sport” of figure skating.

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov joined the Skating Club of Boston as coaches in 2017, according to Zeghibe.

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov (Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov -- Getty Images)

“They were very much a part of us building a competitive program here at the Skating Club of Boston,” Zeghibe said. “Very popular with families, proven success...It’s a major personal loss.”

In a statement, U.S. Figure Skating said, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. As of Thursday morning, at least 28 bodies had been pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River.

John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, said everyone on the jet and helicopter was feared dead.

“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”

The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear.

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