Two young figure skaters, along with their mothers and coaches, are among those killed in the deadly plane crash that occurred when an American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter while on approach near Washington, D.C., Wednesday night.
A stream of people were seen filing into Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, Va., about two hours away from Ronald Reagan National Airport where the collision occurred, bringing flowers to place at a tribute wall for the victims, some of whom frequented the ice rink.
The Skating Club of Boston said Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, along with their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were on board the flight.
Both skaters had been attending a national development camp in Wichita, Kansas, which had followed the U.S. Figure Skating national championship this past weekend.
A total of 60 passengers and four crew members were on board the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard a training flight on a Black Hawk helicopter are presumed dead, officials told reporters Thursday morning.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said “there are no survivors.”
Investigators are now trying to determine what caused the midair collision.
Flowers and other gifts adorn a tribute wall set up at the Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, Va., to honour the victims of the midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Ashleigh Stewart/Motorcycle accident toronto today
Lane was champion at the 2025 intermediate eastern sectionals champion and had become popular on social media in the skating community, with thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok.
“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in November, it has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing,” Lane wrote in a post Wednesday afternoon.
“I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people.”
Shortly before takeoff, Lane posted a story on his Instagram which showed the wing of a plane with the words indicating the airport codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), alluding to the flight path.
A screenshot of an Instagram story by Spencer Lane, who was confirmed as a victim of the American Airlines plane crash on Jan. 29, 2025. Lane posted this photo of a plane wing, indicating his flight from Wichita, Kan. to Washington, D.C. before takeoff.
Instagram/@spencerskates26 – Spencer Lane
Han was described as an Olympic hopeful in 2022 American media coverage of her skating career.
She placed second in the Novice Women’s Short Program two months ago at the 2025 Eastern Sectional Singles Final while representing the Skating Club of Boston.
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During a press conference on Thursday morning, Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the skating club, spoke about the “pretty horrific tragedy.”
“Skating is a very close and tight-knit community,” he said.
“Six is a horrific number for us, but we’re fortunate and grateful it wasn’t more than six. This will have long, reaching impacts for our skating community.”
Zeghibe noted it’s not the first loss for the Boston club, referencing the 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. delegation on its way to the world championships in Prague. He told reporters almost half of those on the plane were part of the club.
He said that crash also had “long-reaching implications” for the club and sport.
“When you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport as well,” he said. “I personally feel that this club, the Skating Club of Boston, is just now 60 years later been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash.”
Shishkova and Naurov moved to the U.S. after winning the 1994 pairs world championship and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center in Connecticut and have been at the Boston club since 2017, which has been a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were on the flight, along with several skaters, coaches and family members.
“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia’s 10th congressional district confirmed the death of Inna Volanskaya, an ice skating coach at the Ashburn Ice House, in Ashburn, Virginia.
According to her profile on the skating club’s website, Volanskaya was a decorated skater – winning gold, silver and bronze medals in various international competitions, and was a pair skater with the Soviet Union National Team, twice placing first in the Soviet Union Cup. She graduated from the Moscow University of Physical Culture. After competing for many years, Volanskaya began her coaching career in 2002.
Anika Hansford, a coach at the Ashburn Ice House, told Motorcycle accident toronto today she was still processing the loss.
“All I can say is these skaters were our future stars of U.S. figure skating,” Hansford wrote. “These skaters trained for years everyday to achieve their dreams with a coach who truly loved them and believed in them.”
Loudoun County Public Schools released a statement confirming that multiple victims were former students of the school system. Ashburn is located in Loudoun County.
The statement did not release any names of the deceased, but said: “This unimaginable loss has deeply affected our community, and with great sorrow, we have learned that multiple victims were former LCPS students. Many other Loudoun families have also been impacted, and we extend our deepest condolences to all those grieving in the wake of this tragedy.”
Three students from schools in Fairfax County, Virginia and six parents from the district were also on board the plane, superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to families. She did not identify them, but said the students were from different schools and that two of the parents were current or former district staffers.
The father of Sam Lilley, the first officer on the flight, confirmed the death of his son in a Facebook post.
Tim Lilley said his son was doing great in his career and personal life and was engaged to get married in the fall.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” he wrote. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again, but my heart is breaking.”
A flight attendant on the plane, Ian Epstein, was also confirmed to have died by his wife Debi who wrote about her husband “with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness.”
“Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC,” she wrote.
Asra Hussain Raza, a 26-year-old consultant based in Washington, was also among those killed, her father-in-law Hashim told Reuters.
He said she had sent a text to her husband from the flight as they approached the city saying she would land in about 20 minutes. Her husband, Hamaad, never received another message while waiting for her at the airport.
Raza got a job with a consulting group in Washington after earning her master’s degree in public health at Columbia University. Her aim was to work for the government to improve public health.
Hashim said she travelled to Wichita about once or twice a month to help turn around a hospital.
Wendy Shaffer of Charlotte, N.C. was confirmed to have been on board by her friend and Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.
In a post on X, he shared a message from Shaffer’s husband Nate who said he was “still waiting to wake up from this nightmare.”
“She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for,” Nate wrote. “Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met.”
Those killed also included four steamfitters, all members of a United Association union local in suburban Maryland, union leaders said in a social media post Thursday.
“Our focus now is on providing support and care to the families of our Brothers as we continue to gather more information in the coming days,” said the post by UA General President Mark McManus and Chris Madello, the business manager of Local 602.
—with files from The Associated Press, Reuters and Motorcycle accident toronto today’ Katie Scott