American Airlines flight 5342 originating from Wichita, Kansas crashed midair with a U.S. Army black hawk helicopter into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport last Wednesday, killing all 64 people aboard the plane and three on the helicopter.
The fatalities included Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, teenage figure skaters from Greater Boston traveling from a figure skating development camp in Wichita, connecting in Washington, D.C. to Boston. They were members of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood; the club’s CEO Doug Zeghibe said “we have lost family,” in a social media statement. Their mothers were also killed, in addition to two married Russian coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Spencer Lane, 16, was gaining popularity on social media for his skating content, even posting a picture aboard the doomed plane shortly before its departure. Lane’s father told Providence’s WPRI that he had an infectious personality, saying he was “loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters…they just adored him.”
In a statement, Zeghibe reflected that Jinna Han already showed Olympic potential at 13, saying [the club] “watched her grow up.”
“A great performer, a great competitor. And off the ice, a great kid — as we would say, ‘raised right,’” continued Zeghibe’s statement.
The two Russian coaches, whose deaths were confirmed by the Russian government, joined the club in 2017 after competing together in the 1992 and 1994 Olympics. Medalist Nancy Kerrigan described them to the Associated Press as tough, but always smiling and happy to be there. She added that their absence will be “strange.”
Emma L’Esperance, a senior nutrition and wellness major at Simmons, skated at the Skating Club of Boston, starting competitive ice dancing when she was around 11 years old, dancing with the same partner until the age of 20. The duo was coached under Vadim Naumov for two or three years, L’Esperance calling him a “brilliant talent who brought skating talent to a new level.”
“[Naumov] loved skating, and always had so much joy when he did it,” said L’Esperance. “A lot of young children looked up to him, and so did I. This is an incredible loss for the skating community.”
A friend of L’Esperance who knew the Han family described Jinna as always friendly and positive, and the family as people who always went out of their way to help others.
Since Wednesday, a memorial service was held where skaters from various clubs made signs and held moments of silence.
“The club is really coming together as a community and appreciating each other,” said L’Esperance. “This is far beyond skating, skating is truly a family.”
The world championships at TD Garden are set to be held March 25-30 and are expected to occur as scheduled.