As many as 14 skaters who were on board the American Eagle flight involved in a midair collision with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 are feared dead, Doug Zeghibe, the Skating Club of Boston’s CEO and executive director said Thursday.
The names of six people on board the flight have been released by the Skating Club of Boston. Two teen figure skaters, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, were affiliated with the club and were on board the flight, the club shared in a social media announcement.
Han’s mother, Jin Han, and Lane’s mother, Christine Lane, were also on the flight.
Twelve-year-old Brielle Beyer and her mother were also on board, a family member confirmed to NBC News.
“Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” Zeghibe said in a statement shared on social media.
Two coaches, married couple and former Russian world champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were also on board, the club said.
Zeghibe added that the athletes, parents and coaches were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
The camp was for young competitive skaters “with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow,” he said.
Zeghibe told reporters Jan. 30 that as many as 14 skaters, coaches and parents in total returning home from the training camp in Wichita had been on board the flight.
U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for figure skating in the U.S., also released a statement on the crash, confirming that “several members of our skating community” were on board the flight.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland mourned the “profound loss” of the passengers on the flight in a statement.
“Among those lost were talented athletes, dedicated coaches, and beloved family members from the U.S. Figure Skating community, all returning home from the National Development Camp. These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA, embodying the very essence of what it means to represent our country — perseverance, resilience and hope. They were remarkable young people and talents, passionately pursuing their dreams, and they will forever hold a cherished place in the Team USA family,” the statement continued.
At around 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 29, American Eagle Flight 5342 collided in midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, which had been conducting a training mission.
Both aircrafts fell into the Potomac River. Authorities say no survivors are expected in the crash, and a recovery mission is currently underway.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American Eagle flight, the airline’s parent company, American Airlines, said in a statement.
Three people were on board the military helicopter, an Army official said.
Here’s what to know about the victims in the skating community.
Spencer Lane and mother Christine Lane
Spencer Lane was an up-and-coming figure skater whom Zeghibe described as a “young phenom.”
“Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid, highly talented. Like, incredibly talented,” Zeghibe told reporters, describing him as “very fun, very cerebral.”
Zeghibe said Lane had “only been with the sport a couple of years, and was just rocketing to the top, and his parents were working to support that.”
Lane’s mother, Christine Lane, was also on board the flight.
Jinna Han and mother Jin Han
Zeghibe described Jinna (pronounced “Jeena”) Han as “just a wonderful kid, wonderful parents, great athlete, great competitor, loved by all.”
He also shared that the club had a close relationship with the Han family. He offered kind words about Jinna’s mother, Jin Han, who was on board the American Eagle flight.
“I would say Jin (was) one of the most wonderful, pleasant, polite, smiling, just fantastic, fantastic member of the club,” he told reporters. “Never a discouraging word, always appreciative, always supportive of not just Jinna, her daughter, but every athlete, just role model parents in youth sport.”
Brielle Beyer and mother Justyna Magdalena Beyer
Brielle Beyer, 12, was on the flight with her mother, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, Justyna’s sister,Mariola Witkowska, confirmed to NBC News. Brielle and her mother were from a Virginia suburb of Washington.
“We’re heartbroken. We’re just in shock,” Witkowska said.
Calling Brielle “an excellent skater,” Witkowska said “ice skating was pretty much her life.”
“She was extremely intelligent for her age, very very smart girl,” Brielle said.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were celebrated figure skating coaches and former Russian world champions. They were also married.
Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, were two-time Olympians, competing in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, according to the Skating Club of Boston.
They both had decades of coaching experience in competitive single and pair skating.
Inna Volyanskaya
Former pair skater Inna Volyanskaya was on board the flight, her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, confirmed to NBC Washington.
Volyanskaya was a coach at Virginia’s Ashburn Ice House. Volyanskaya had competed internationally for the Soviet Union.
“She was one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate,” Lansel told NBC Washington.