Members of US figure skating community died in Washington, DC air collision/Legacy on Ice Tribute show March 2nd

[Elizabeth]

As I was going to bed last evening I saw news coverage of a mid-air collision in Washington, DC - a "regional passenger jet" coming from Wichita, KS on their approach to landing at Reagan National Airport had collided with a military helicopter and ended up in the Potomac River.

The mention of Wichita immediately made me think skaters or others who had been at US Nationals.

This morning my fears were concerned. While no names have yet been confirmed officially, it has been reported that the skaters were returning from the juvenile, intermediate, and novice camp.

ISU Statement - American Airlines flight
30 Jan 2025

The International Skating Union (ISU) and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. last night. We are heartbroken to learn that Figure Skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board.

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family—and we stand together. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.

[Elizabeth]

From BBC News:
US Figure Skating - the American governing body for the sport - has confirmed in a statement that several members of its skating community were on board the American Airlines Flight 5342.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the statement reads.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."

The 2025 Prevagen US Figure Skating Championships were held in Wichita, Kansas between 20-26 January.

[Elizabeth]

The news below has been confirmed by colleagues in the USA



Their son Max, who competed at US nationals, had travelled home when they finished. His parents remained, as coaches at the development camp.

[kittykins]

Oh my goodness, I just turned on the news and found out skaters were on the flight!! It's so sad!!! SO TRAGIC. Thanks for the information.

[Kevin]

This is absolutely devastating news! From the bit I've seen, they are saying that no survivors have yet been found. I can't imagine what the figure skating community is going through right now.

[kittykins]

I feel SO sad for Maxim, losing both his parents! Their last words to their son were apparently to tell him how proud they were of him. How could this happen??!! I didn't realize that half the skaters in the 1961 crash were from Boston. I have the book about it, but I'll admit it is so sad I didn't get around to reading it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/other ... aumov.html

94677915-14342045-image-a-19_1738237862079.jpg

[Elizabeth]

Most, if not all, of the skaters, coaches and families were from the Washington Figure Skating Club and the Skating Club of Boston. The latter were to change planes in Washington on their way home from the Development Camp.
Some names are being revealed in press reports but there is no official list as yet.

A statement from Skate Canada

[Elizabeth]

This is absolutely devastating news! From the bit I've seen, they are saying that no survivors have yet been found. I can't imagine what the figure skating community is going through right now.

It has been confirmed that it is now a "recovery" rather than a rescue operation and the NTSB has taken the lead going forward.
There were no survivors

The names released by the Skating Club of Boston:
"Skater Spencer Lane, and his mother, Christine (Molly), skater Jinna Han, and her mother, Jin, and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the plane."


Other names that have been released, so far:
Eddie Zhou (Athlete - Skating Club of Northern Virginia) - Easterns Novice Men's pewter medalist
Everly Livingston (Athlete - Washington Figure Skating Club) - Easterns Intermediate Women's pewter medalist
Alydia Livingston (Athlete - Washington Figure Skating Club) - younger sister of Everly
Franco Aparicio (Athlete - Washington Figure Skating Club) - Easterns Intermediate Men's pewter medalist
Inna Volyanskaya (Coach - Washington Figure Skating Club) - coach of Aparicio and Everly Livingston
Sean Kay (Athlete - University of Delaware Figure Skating Club) *
Angela Yang (Athlete - University of Delaware Figure Skating Club) *
Brielle Beyer (Athlete - Skating Club of Northern Virginia - Easterns Juvenile Girls bronze medalist) and her mother Justyna Magdalena,
Cory Haynos (Athlete - Skating Club of Northern Virginia - Easterns Intermediate Men's bronze medalist)
Alexandr Kirsanov (coach - University of Delaware Figure Skating Club)


* Yang/Kay won the Juvenile Dance gold medal at the Ice Dance Final at Mids in Nov. 2024

[kittykins]

The sisters:
https://www.instagram.com/ice_skating_s ... N6-GLyTEB/

I remember Spencer Lane.

[Elizabeth]

From the Press conference with Doug Zeghibe, CEO of The Skating Club of Boston, that was streamed live earlier today:





A news conference from the Skating Club of Boston - includes the CEO as well as Nancy Kerrigan, Dr. Tenley Albright, her daughter, and Paul George:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYIRb_tdby0
A warning - it is quite hard to watch

[Elizabeth]

There was a statement read before the Pairs FS in Tallinn about this tragedy, followed by a moment of silence

ISU Statement – Tragic loss for Figure Skating Community

The International Skating Union (ISU) and the entire skating community are heartbroken by the tragic loss of figure skaters, their coaches, and family members who were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342.

ISU President Jae Youl Kim expressed his condolences:

“Today, the world of Figure Skating is heartbroken. We share our deepest, most sincere condolences with the families and friends of all those who lost their lives in this terrible crash. To lose so many members of our community in this way brings sadness beyond words.”

The ISU is in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and stands ready to offer its full support during this unimaginably difficult time.

As the global skating family grieves together, a moment of silence was observed at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn (EST), honoring those we have lost and their loved ones.

[Elizabeth]

A very eloquent statement from Merle Davis

[fred]

I've been listening to announcements about the accident for some time but it was just a short while ago they I heard on CBC that skaters were involved. I knew that'd be all of us coming here to share our shock & sympathy. US & Russian skaters united in tragedy and sorrow. My prayers & thought go out to the relatives of all who lost their lives.

I knew people had died, but strangely it wasn't until I heard skaters were involved that this really struck me, and of course every casualty is a tragedy. Every victim had a life as important and any other. Somehow, it was the skaters deaths that struck me.

Now I'm listening to "experts" describe how it happened. They are saying that the passenger aircraft was on it's glide path, coming for a landing on instrument flight rules, and the military Blackhawk helicopter was in the corridor for military craft using visual flight rules... Then they continue as though this is perfectly normal and ask How could this have happened?

It basically means that if both aircraft were following their appointed airspace, then there has to be a point where the 2 airspaces intersect. I mean really, putting it as politely as I can, what kind of an idiot does one have to be to think that this would be safe?!?

Maybe it will become clearer as more information becomes available, (or more excuses made), but this should never have been set up as they are describing it now. There are Collision Avoidance systems that will not let 2 aircraft collide without automatically taking over the controls and, in a coordinated fashion, divert both planes safely. The airliner would have had that system. Apparently the helicopter did not, or it was turned off.

I am working through my sorrow phase of a response to this and starting to reach the anger phase. There has to be incompetence at he planning levels of this. Knowing how this has been described by experts evaluating the crash, who among us would have replied, "Oh yeah, that setup is OK. What could go wrong?" My own response would have been very different.

[Elizabeth]

Ryan Stevens (SkateGuard) reminds us, in his post, about the previous airline tragedy that impacted US skating back in 1961, when the team was enroute to the World Championships.



To read more about the Sabena crash, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_548

[Elizabeth]

Statement from the British association

[Elizabeth]

Statement from US Figure Skating

[Elizabeth]

Sadly, news is coming out about an additional skater and more parents who were travelling on the flight into Washington with their children.

Cory Haynos's parents, Stephanie & Roger were among the dead as mentioned in the article linked below.
Cory had achieved his triple axle in the closing moments at the National Development Camp in Wichita, according to this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/us/c ... ticleShare

Peter and Donna Livingston, parents of sisters Everly & Lydia, were also reported to have been among the dead.

Eddie Zhou's parents, Kaiyan (Stephanie) Mao and Yu (Joe) Zhou, were also aboard the jet : https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/us/d ... =url-share


Both the CBC and CTV national news last evening included coverage on the impact of this event on the skating community, not just in the US but worldwide.

[Elizabeth]

Statement from I.AM

[kittykins]

Now I'm listening to "experts" describe how it happened. They are saying that the passenger aircraft was on it's glide path, coming for a landing on instrument flight rules, and the military Blackhawk helicopter was in the corridor for military craft using visual flight rules... Then they continue as though this is perfectly normal and ask How could this have happened?

It basically means that if both aircraft were following their appointed airspace, then there has to be a point where the 2 airspaces intersect. I mean really, putting it as politely as I can, what kind of an idiot does one have to be to think that this would be safe?!?

They said on CBC this morning that there have been some near misses prior to this horrific accident. Surely, that should have been an indication that change was needed, and that a horrific accident was only inevitable eventually. It also seems from news reports that the flight controllers were over-worked and there were not enough people on the job that evening. It's so hard to watch the coverage...so tragic.

Thanks for all the updates Elizabeth and for help with pronunciation of names. They were showing a tribute about the skaters involved on CBC, but they interrupted it to show politics!

[Elizabeth]

The USFS has established a family support fund in response to the tragic events of Wednesday evening



From Michelle Kwan -( includes a reference to the fund above)


Nathan Chen posted a statement on Instagram on behalf of the whole 2022 US Olympic FS team and each member had added their signature to the image he posted (text reproduced below as linking not possible). Nathan added that In partnership with the ‘22 team, an anonymous donor is matching up to $22,000 in donations to the USFS fund.

Text:

Being a part of the skating community means being a part of a close family. We grow together - not just with each other, but also alongside all our families, friends, anc coaches - during our skating journeys and beyond. When you join this community, you are a part of it forever.

The loss of the passengers on Flight 5342 leaves an irreplaceable gap in our community. Among them were young athletes who represented the future of our sport, as well as the loving families who support them, and the coaches whose careers have been dedicated to raising generations of athletes. Our sport will never be the same.

As a team, we are coming together to extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those we lost - you are our family, too.

We join U.S. Figure Skating by giving to the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund. If you would also like to support those impacted by this devastating loss, visit USFigureSkatingSupport.org.

With Love and Remembrance,

The 2022 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team

[kittykins]

Scott Hamilton on the Today Show:
https://youtu.be/7fGeI8Qsjpo

Skaters.jpg

Some of the Victims as shown on the Today Show. This would indicate that the Livingston sisters' parents also perished in the crash.

[Elizabeth]

Yes, I added some information in a previous post about additional parents who were on the plane

Here is the latest list (in alphabetical order) that I am aware of as of February 1, 2025

• Franco Aparicio, 13, Washington, D.C. (Athlete - Washington FSC)
• Luciano "Lucho" Aparicio, Washington, D.C. (Father of Franco Aparicio)
• Brielle Beyer, 12, Aldie, Va. (Athlete - SC of Northern Virginia)
• Justyna Magdalena Beyer, 42, Aldie, Va. (Mother of Brielle Beyer)
• Jin Han, 49, Mansfield, Mass. (Mother of Jinna Han)
• Jinna Han, 13, Mansfield, Mass. (Athlete - SC of Boston)
• Cory Haynos, 16, Annandale, Va. (Athlete - SC of Northern Virginia)
• Roger Haynos, 56, Annandale, Va. (Father of Cory Hanos)
• Stephanie Haynos, 56, Annandale, Va. (Mother of Cory Haynos)
• Julia Kay, 42, Bear, Del. (Mother of Sean Kay)
• Sean Kay, 11, Bear, Del. (Athlete - UD FSC)
• Alexandr Kirsanov, 46, Bear, Del. (Coach - UD FSC)
• Christine Lane, 49, Barrington, R.I. (Mother of Spencer Lane)
• Spencer Lane, 16, Barrington, R.I. (Athlete - SC of Boston)
• Alydia Livingston, 11, Ashburn, Va. (Athlete - Washington FSC)
• Everly Livingston, 14, Ashburn, Va. (Athlete - Washington FSC)
• Donna Livingston, 48, Ashburn, Va. (Mother of Everly and Alydia Livingston)
• Peter Livingston, 48, Ashburn, Va. (Father of Everly and Alydia Livingston)
• Vadim Naumov, 55, Norwood, Mass. (Coach - SC of Boston)
• Olesya Ter, 50, Alexandria, Va. (Mother of Oliva Ter)
• Olivia Ter, 12, Alexandria, Va. (Athlete - ION FSC)
• Evgenia Shishkova, 52, Norwood, Mass. (Coach - SC of Boston)
• Inna Volyanskaya, 59, Oakton, Va. (Coach - Washington FSC)
• Angela Yang, 11, (Athlete - UD FSC)
• Lily Yang, (Mother of Angela Yang)
• Edward Zhou, 16, Fairfax, Va. (Athlete - SC of Northern Virginia)
• Joe Zhou, Fairfax, Va. (Father of Edward Zhou)
• Kaiyan Zhou, Fairfax, Va. (Mother of Edward Zhou)

By my count, that means that 28 of the 60 passengers aboard the jet were connected to the US skating community, including 11 athletes, 4 coaches and 13 parents

[Elizabeth]

The ISU has posted an obituary for Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov: https://isu-skating.com/figure-skating/ ... aumov-rus/

Currently the lead news item on http://www.iceskatingintnl.com/ reflects on the legacy of Shishkova and Naumov.
It includes their last public message (from Instagram) which describes their pride in their son:

"Once again, Maxim made us all proud, getting on to the podium at Nationals after 7th place in the short. This beautiful and emotional performance is a result of a team work. Huge thanks to Serhii and Irina Vaypan and of course to Adam Blake for his wonderful choreography of a classic! Maxim has earned his place in the team of 4 Continents."

As posted earlier, Max has withdrawn from 4CC. It is being reported that he is staying with very long time family friends during this unimaginably difficult time.

[Elizabeth]

Each of the skating clubs which lost members in the mid-air collision has posted tributes:

• ION FSC: https://bit.ly/IONFSCTribute
• The SC of Boston: https://bit.ly/SCOBTribute
• University of Delaware FSC: https://bit.ly/UnivDelawareFSCTribute
• Washington FSC: https://bit.ly/WashFSCTribute

[Elizabeth]

Statement from the Interim CEO of USFS:

Recognizing the 28 Lost on Flight 5342

Since the tragic crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 late Wednesday night, U.S. Figure Skating has been connecting with the loved ones of those who lost their lives, offering the support of our extended community while remembering the light they brought to us all.  

We can confirm that we have lost 28 members of the figure skating community on this flight. They were incredible athletes, caring and supportive family members, and coaches who worked tirelessly for their athletes. They were beloved members of our global skating community, and we mourn their loss together. 

In the hours and days since the crash, we have provided and continue to offer counseling services, both virtually and in Washington D.C.  We also established the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund to provide support to those U.S. Figure Skating families directly impacted by the tragedy – to contribute, please click here: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/usfigureska ... atingfund/

During the coming days and months, there will be many tributes to honor the victims. Our partner skating clubs, many of whom lost athletes who graced their ice, will be holding tributes and moments of silence. Additionally, on March 2, we have partnered with the Washington Capitals to hold a tribute at Capital One Arena, with all proceeds going to the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund. 

Those whom we lost dedicated their lives to perfecting the sport of figure skating, many with the goal of one day becoming Olympians. We will never forget them. May their passion and excellence inspire us and give us strength in the days ahead. For now, our hearts are heavy with sorrow, and we stand with their families and friends as we grieve this unspeakable loss.   

Samuel Auxier 
Interim CEO of U.S. Figure Skating 

2-minute video tribute from USFS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5CMlicf1cc