US Figure Skating has seen tragedy before: All about the 1961 world team plane crash
I’M ANTOINETTE ANTONIO. WE INTERRUPT PROGRAMING TO BRING YOU ANOTHER UPDATE ON THAT PLANE CRASH OUTSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. AND AS WE’VE LEARNED, THIS HAS IMPACTED OUR LOCAL FIGURE SKATING COMMUNITY. LET’S GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN TO A PRESS CONFERENCE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. I AM THE CEO OF THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON. AND LAST NIGHT AND INTO THIS MORNING, WE WERE INFORMED OF A PRETTY HORRIFIC TRAGEDY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, 14 SKATERS RETURNING HOME FROM THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP AT WICHITA, KANSAS, PUT ON BY U.S. FIGURE SKATING, WERE LOST IN THE PLANE CRASH AT WASHINGTON, D.C., OF THOSE, 14 SKATERS, SIX WERE FROM THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON. TWO COACHES, TWO TEENAGE ATHLETES, AND THE ATHLETES MOMS. SKATING IS A VERY CLOSE AND TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY. THESE KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS, THEY’RE HERE AT OUR FACILITY IN NORWOOD SIX, SOMETIMES SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. IT’S A CLOSE, TIGHT BOND, AND I THINK FOR ALL OF US, WE HAVE LOST FAMILY. WE SENT HERE AT THIS CLUB, 18 SKATERS TO WICHITA TO COMPETE AT THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND 12 SKATERS WERE AT THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP. SIX IS A HORRIFIC NUMBER FOR US, BUT WE’RE WE’RE FORTUNATE AND GRATEFUL. IT WASN’T MORE THAN SIX. THIS WILL HAVE LONG REACHING IMPACTS FOR OUR SKATING COMMUNITY. THE TWO COACHES, JENNA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV, TOP COACHES. THEY WERE THE 1994 WORLD PAIR CHAMPIONS, WORLD PAIR CHAMPIONS, AND THEY CAME TO US IN 2017 AND WERE VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR BUILDING. THE COMPETITIVE SKATING PROGRAM HERE AT THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, ORIGINATING A GROUP CLASS. TOMORROW’S CHAMPIONS SUBSCRIPTION BASED, VERY INNOVATIVE IN THE U.S. AND BASED ON WHAT THEY LEARNED AND HOW THEY DEVELOPED IN SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. VERY POPULAR WITH FAMILIES, PROVEN SUCCESS, WHICH IS WHY I THINK THEY HAD SO MANY KIDS AT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND AT THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP. SO IT’S IT’S A MAJOR PERSONAL LOSS, BUT IT’S ALSO A LOSS TO OUR SKATING COMMUNITY. I THINK THE FINAL THING I WANT TO SAY THAT, SADLY, THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THIS CLUB HAS EXPERIENCED A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS. IT’S NOW A WAYS BACK. BUT IN 1961, THE ENTIRE WORLD TEAM OF U.S. FIGURE SKATING AND ROUTE TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PRAGUE WAS LOST IN A PLANE CRASH IN BELGIUM. ALMOST HALF OF EVERYBODY ON BOARD THAT PLANE WERE FROM THIS CLUB. IT HAD LONG, LONG REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SKATING CLUB AND FOR THE SPORT IN THIS COUNTRY, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOSE COACHES LIKE THIS, YOU LOSE THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT AS WELL. IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME IN REDEVELOPING IT, AND I PERSONALLY FEEL THAT THIS CLUB, THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, HAS JUST NOW, ALMOST 60 YEARS LATER, BEEN COMING OUT OF THE SHADOW OF THAT 1961 CRASH. SO THIS IS PARTICULARLY DEVASTATING. DOUG, VADIM AND GINA WERE MARRIED. YES. THEY HAVE A SON NAMED MAX. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HIM AND ABOUT HOW HE GOT OUT AND WAS NOT ON THAT PLANE? SO MAX WAS COMPETING AT THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE SENIOR MEN’S EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP. MEN. HE PLACED FOURTH, WHICH IS A MEDALING SPOT, AND HIS TIME IN WICHITA CONCLUDED ON SUNDAY WITH THE MEN’S EVENT. HE WAS ACTUALLY ON A PLANE ON MONDAY. I CAME BACK WITH HIM. HE HAD NO REASON TO STAY AT THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP. BOTH OF HIS PARENTS WERE WITH HIM WHILE HE WAS COMPETING. IT’S WELL KNOWN. MOM WAS ALWAYS TOO NERVOUS TO WATCH HIM SKATE, BUT HIS DAD WAS WITH HIM AND DAD WAS IN THE KISS AND CRY, SHARING HIS GREAT PERFORMANCE. AND MAX, I DON’T KNOW WHAT HIS NEXT STEPS ARE FOR COMPETITION, BUT HE WAS PLANNED TO COMPETE IN THE FOUR CONTINENTS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER NEXT WEEK, AND THEN HE IS A FIRST OR SECOND ALTERNATE TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, WHICH WE’RE HOSTING AT TD GARDEN AT THE END OF MARCH. MARCH 25TH THROUGH 30TH. SO. AND MAX IS MAX HAS BEEN WITH US SINCE 2017 AS WELL. WELL DECORATED SKATER, NOVICE MEN’S CHAMPION, JUNIOR MEN’S CHAMPION, TWO TIME CHAMPIONSHIP MEN MEDALIST. VERY CLOSE WITH HIS PARENTS. OBVIOUSLY, AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, HE’S FLOWN TO WASHINGTON. YEAH, THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. MAX IS ENROUTE TO WASHINGTON, ALONG WITH THE DADS OF SPENCER AND GINA. DID ANY OTHER MEMBERS HERE HAVE A REASON TO FLY TO DC, OR IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THEY WERE EVENTUALLY SUPPOSED TO COME TO BOSTON? I BELIEVE THEY WERE ALL ENROUTE BACK TO BOSTON. THERE’S NO DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN BOSTON AND WICHITA. HAVING WORKED ON THAT ONE MYSELF. SO YOU HAVE TO CONNECT. DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF THE OF THE COMPETITION. SO ESSENTIALLY, SPENCER AND GINA WERE I MEAN, THEY WERE IN THE BIGGEST PART OF THAT COMPETITION. THEY WERE THERE THE LAST DAY. SO THEY WERE IN THE CAMP. SO THE CAMP FOLLOWS THE COMPETITION. IT’S FOR YOUNGER SKATERS, YOUNGER SKATERS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH PROMISE BY US FIGURE SKATING, HIGH DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE, DEPARTMENT, IF YOU WILL. SO U.S. FIGURE SKATING WAS LOOKING TO EVERYBODY IN THAT HIGH DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP AS THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT. SO THEY WEREN’T COMPETING AT THE US CHAMPIONSHIPS BECAUSE THEY WERE AT THE NOVICE LEVEL. US CHAMPIONSHIPS IS FOR JUNIOR AND SENIOR ONLY. CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT ANY OF THE VICTIMS? WHAT WAS THAT? TELL US THE NAMES OF EACH VICTIM, HOW OLD THEY WERE, WHAT THEIR ROLE WAS. SPENCER LANE AND HIS MOM, MOLLY SPENCER, WAS ABOUT 16, I THINK. I BELIEVE TURNING 17 EARLY NEXT YEAR. GINA HAHN, ABOUT THE SAME AGE AND HER MOM, JEN, AND THEN VADIM AND GINA, THE COACHES THAT WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT. CAN YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES? TALK ABOUT SPENCER AND GINA, BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT THEIR SKILL LEVEL, WERE THEY LEADERS AROUND HERE? DEFINITELY, VERY MUCH. AND I WOULD SAY BOTH FAMILIES VERY MUCH EMBEDDED IN OUR OUR COMMUNITY JUST FOR THE SHEER AMOUNT OF TIME THEY’RE HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY, I’LL JUST SAY WONDERFUL PEOPLE. AND THE YOUNGER SKATERS HERE, SPENCER OR GINA HERE SKATING AT THE CLUB OR TALKING TO THEM. SPENCER, IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE WAS A CRAZY KID, HIGHLY TALENTED, LIKE INCREDIBLY TALENTED, HAS NOT BEEN SKATING THAT LONG AND JUST ROCKETING TO THE TOP OF THE SPORT. VERY FUN, VERY CEREBRAL, A GOOD THINKER, THINKER. SORRY ABOUT MY BEST BOSTON ACCENT, GINA. JUST A WONDERFUL KID. WONDERFUL PARENTS, GREAT ATHLETE, GREAT COMPETITOR, LOVED BY ALL. YOU TALKED TO THE PARENTS, TO THE FATHERS. HOW WAS THAT CONVERSATION LIKE? WHEN DID YOU TALK TO THEM AND JUST KIND OF WALK ME? I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THE DADS. YOU HAVEN’T TALKED TO ANY. OKAY. NO, I HAVE SPOKEN TO FOLKS THAT WERE WITH THE DADS. AND I CAN SAY WHEN THIS STORY STARTED TO BREAK IN, THE NEWS OF THIS CAME OUT LAST NIGHT. IT WAS A LONG NIGHT FOR US ALL. JUST TRYING TO GET ACCURATE INFORMATION. WHO WAS ON THE PLANE, WHO WASN’T ON THE PLANE, WHERE ARE THE DADS? ARE THERE ANY SURVIVORS? THAT SORT OF THING. WE’VE SEEN SOME PEOPLE, PRESUMABLY SKATERS, SHOW UP THIS MORNING. HOW ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO BELONG TO THE CLUB PROCESSING THIS? I THINK A LOT ARE TRYING TO PROCESS. SOME OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE WRITTEN ME SAYING THE 1961 PLANE CRASH, BECAUSE THAT’S CLEARLY A REFERENCE POINT FOR THEM. HAVING LIVED THROUGH IT, I THINK OUR CURRENT MEMBERS, LEADERS, MANAGEMENT TEAM, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE WORD IS. IS IT WRECKED? IS IT DEVASTATED? FOLKS ARE JUST STUNNED BY THIS. I YOU KNOW, MY PHONE IS JUST BLOWING UP WITH EMAILS AND TEXTS OF FOLKS, YOU KNOW, OFFERING TO SUPPORT IN ANY WAY THEY CAN, EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES AND, AND JUST HOW STUNNED THEY ARE BY IT. COULD YOU TELL US WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CLUB IMMEDIATELY? LIKE, ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO BE OPEN THIS WEEK? WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS HERE? THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. I HAVEN’T THOUGHT THAT FAR. I WOULD ASSUME WE WILL BE OPEN JUST BECAUSE SKATERS ARE RESILIENT AND THEY WANT TO SKATE. I THINK ALSO THEY COME TO THE CLUB AND WILL COME TO THE CLUB AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND TO GRIEVE TOGETHER. WE ARE. THERE’S NEVER, EVER A GOOD TIME FOR A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS, BUT WE’RE A SMALL ORGANIZATION. WE HAVE A LARGE FACILITY. WE’RE ALSO THE LOCAL HOST FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING UP AT THE END OF MARCH. SO WE’RE PRETTY BUSY AND WE CAN’T TAKE A BREAK. WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING. HOW DO YOU HOW SHAUN HOW SELF REBUILDING AFTER THIS? YOU REBUILD OVER TIME. IT’S TOO SOON TO SAY, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A HOLE IN OUR COACHING STAFF. A GIANT HOLE LEFT BY VADIM AND JENNA. I’M NOT QUITE SURE HOW WE’RE GOING TO FILL THAT DOUG GIVEN HOW SAFE AIR TRAVEL IS IN THE WORLD AND THE FACT THAT YOUR CLUB HAS BEEN PERSONALLY IMPACTED NOW BY TWO TRAGEDIES, 1961 AND AND 2025, DOES IT STRIKE YOU AS BAD LUCK OR WHAT? WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT? IT STRIKES ME AS LIFE. YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S SENSELESS, BUT ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. I THINK FOR ME PERSONALLY, I’D RATHER HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN AN ACCIDENT THAN A TERRORIST ACTIVITY OR SOMETHING. YOU KNOW, WHERE SOMEBODY WAS DELIBERATELY TRYING TO CAUSE HARM. IT SOMEHOW MAKES IT EASIER TO ACCEPT THAT IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. HOW? I WANT TO ASK THE CLUB, THE NUMBER OF THE VICTIMS WERE COMING DAYS. WELL, I DON’T THINK WE’RE EVER GOING TO FORGET THEM. THAT IS CERTAINLY HOW WE COMMEMORATE THEM HERE. WE HAVEN’T GOTTEN TO THAT POINT TO DISCUSS, BUT WE CERTAINLY WILL JUST DEFINITELY VERY IMPORTANT AND WELL LOVED MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT WAS THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRASH? WHAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND? IT WAS THE BIGGEST THING WAS HOW CAN WE GET ACCURATE INFORMATION? AT ONE POINT WE THOUGHT WE HAD 12 SKATERS THAT WERE ON 12 SKATERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THEN IT WAS 8 TO 10. AND NOW, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS CRAZY TO BE BELIEVED. OH MY GOSH, IT’S ONLY SIX. BUT IN SOME WAYS I AM RELIEVED IT’S ONLY SIX, BUT IT’S A DEVASTATING SIX. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD. I KNOW WE SPENT TIME TALKING ABOUT THE TWO SKATERS, BUT HAD YOU EVER RUN INTO MOLLY, HAD YOU EVER RUN INTO JEN? AND KIND OF JUST TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEM AS WELL? YES, DEFINITELY. IN WICHITA, SPENT TIME WITH THEM. SO DEDICATED MOMS MAKING SACRIFICES. THE LANES LIVED IN PROVIDENCE OR I SHOULD SAY RHODE ISLAND OUTSIDE OF PROVIDENCE, SPENT A LOT OF TIME COMMUTING A REAL COMMITMENT TO BE HERE FOR SPENCER TO SKATE. AS I SAID, SPENCER WAS A PRETTY YOUNG PHENOM, HAS ONLY BEEN WITH THE SPORT A COUPLE OF YEARS AND WAS JUST ROCKETING TO THE TOP, AND HIS PARENTS WERE WORKING TO SUPPORT THAT. THE HAHN FAMILY HAS BEEN WITH US FOR A WHILE, CERTAINLY SINCE WE OPENED THIS FACILITY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020, AND THEY ARE DEFINITELY A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY. AND I WOULD SAY, JEN, ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL, PLEASANT, POLITE, SMILING, JUST FANTASTIC. FANTASTIC MEMBER OF THE CLUB. NEVER A DISCOURAGING WORD, ALWAYS APPRECIATIVE, ALWAYS SUPPORTIVE OF NOT JUST JEN AND HER DAUGHTER, BUT EVERY ATHLETE. JUST ROLE MODEL PARENTS IN YOUTH SPORT. AND YOU DON’T ALWAYS GET THAT RIGHT. AND I WILL SAY OUR KIDS COMPETE HARD ON THE ICE AGAINST EACH OTHER, BUT WHEN THEY STEP OFF THE ICE, IT’S A PRETTY TIGHT KNIT GROUP. THE PARENTS AS WELL. BUT THESE KIDS ALSO FROM NORWOOD OR IN THE AREA, MAX WAS FROM NORWOOD. I FORGET THE TOWN WHERE GINA AND HER MOM LIVED NEARBY AND SPENCER SPENCER WAS RHODE ISLAND. DO THEY PRACTICE SO MUCH? ARE THEY ABLE TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL, OR DO THEY END UP MAYBE DOING SOME? THEY DO A MIX OF HIGH SCHOOL AND HOMESCHOOL. I BELIEVE GINA WAS HOMESCHOOLED, AND I BELIEVE SPENCER IS IN SCHOOL, WAS IN SCHOOL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT ABOUT THIS INCIDENT? I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THAT. INFORMATION IS STILL BREAKING. I MEAN, I THINK WE’VE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING WE KNOW. IT’S OBVIOUSLY A VERY EMOTIONAL THING FOR US BECAUSE AS I SAID, THEY ARE LIKE FAMILY TO US. AND THE TWO DADS REMAINING. I HAVEN’T SPOKEN TO THEM YET, BUT THERE’S NO DOUBT THEY’RE DEVASTATED. I KNOW MAX, OBVIOUSLY DEVASTATED AND SKATERS HERE AT THE CLUB, SENIOR LEVEL SKATERS THAT ALL TRAVELED TO BE WITH HIM LAST NIGHT AS MORE INFORMATION WAS BREAKING. I THINK THE ONLY IF YOU LOOK FOR A SILVER LINING IN SOMETHING THAT’S HORRIBLE, IT’S TO SEE THE HUMANITY OF HOW FOLKS COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT THOSE THAT WERE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THAT. AND THAT REALLY IS HEARTWARMING AND ENCOURAGING. I’M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST. AND THESE FAMILIES AND THESE KIDS. COURTNEY, IS YOUR POINT OF CONTACT MOVING FORWARD? I’M AVAILABLE FOR WHATEVER. MAYBE AS MORE INFORMATION COMES IN, THAT SORT OF THING. ZHENYA AND VADIM, I ASSUME YOU MUST HAVE SPOKEN TO THEM MANY TIMES. OH, GOSH. YES. DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORY THAT REALLY STICKS OUT OF THE TWO OF THEM? OR ABOUT THEM? VADIM I WOULD DESCRIBE AS AN OLD SCHOOL COACH. I GREW UP IN THE SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA SCHOOL OF SKATING, WHICH PRODUCED MANY, MANY CHAMPIONS. I THINK HE WAS A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR OUR KIDS HERE, LOVED YOUNG KIDS, BUT HE WAS ALSO A FIRM DISCIPLINARIAN IN NOT IN A PUNISHMENT WAY BY ANY MEANS, BUT IN BOUNDARIES AND TRAINING. AND HE MADE THE KIDS KEEP TO THE PROPER STANDARDS VERY MUCH IN A RUSSIAN METHOD, WHICH, YOU KNOW, RUSSIAN METHOD CAN BE ARGUED, PRODUCES MORE CHAMPIONS BECAUSE IT IS SO STRICT. GREAT FOLKS, GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR. JENNA. THE WOMEN IN OUR PRAYER TEAM ARE INCREDIBLY TOUGH. THEY HAVE TO LOOK, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY’RE MAKING IT EASY. THEY’RE GETTING CHUCKED THROUGH THE AIR. THEY’RE GETTING TOSSED UP IN THE AIR, AND THEIR JOB IS TO LAND ON ONE FOOT, MAKE IT LOOK EASY, ALWAYS BE PRETTY, BUT THEY ARE TOUGH. AND JENNA WAS INCREDIBLY RESILIENT. AND I THINK JUST A FABULOUS ADDITION TO THIS COMMUNITY. YOU COULDN’T SEE JENNA AND NOT JUST BREAK INTO A SMILE. HAD THEY KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE THEY WERE CHILDREN? I THINK SO, YES. TRAINING TOGETHER. BUT I THINK THEIR ROMANCE CAME LATER IN LIFE. HOW DID THEY END UP HERE AND WHY DID THEY END UP HERE? THEY WERE IN A TRAINING CAMP IN CONNECTICUT AND WE SOUGHT THEM OUT TO BUILD THE COACHING IN OUR OWN PROGRAM. THAT WAS A DELIBERATE MOVE. SO WE SORT OF STOLE THEM FROM CONNECTICUT. HOW TOUGH WAS IT TO CONVINCE THEM TO MOVE HERE? IT WASN’T IMPOSSIBLE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WE MADE IT WORK FOR THEM. WE MADE IT WORK FOR THEM. AND THEY’VE JUST I HAVE NO REGRETS. I’M JUST GOING TO MISS THEM TERRIBLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. YEAH. YOU’VE JUST BEEN LISTENING TO AN INCREDIBLY HEARTBREAKING UPDATE FROM HERE IN NORWOOD FROM THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, WHICH HAS LOST SIX MEMBERS OF THEIR WHAT IS CALLED A TIGHT KNIT U.S. FIGURE SKATING COMMUNITY. THOSE SIX MEMBERS WERE ON BOARD THE FLIGHT. THE AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT THAT CRASHED MID-AIR WITH A BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER JUST OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, DC, AS IT WAS ON APPROACH TO REAGAN AIRPORT. IT WAS COMING BACK FROM WICHITA WHERE YOU JUST HEARD THE CEO THERE OF THE SKATING CLUB IN BOSTON SAY THAT THEY WERE IN WICHITA FOR A COMBINATION OF DEVELOPMENT CAMPS AS WELL AS SKATING COMPETITIONS. THE SIX MEMBERS OF THE CLUB INCLUDE TWO SKATERS, SPENCER LANE, AS WELL AS JENNA HOAR, ALONG WITH THEIR MOTHERS AND THEIR TWO COACHES, VADIM NAUMOV AND ZHENYA SHISHKOVA. A MARRIED COUPLE. THEY ALSO HAVE A SON WHO IS A SKATER, AND THE CEO THERE OF THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, SAYING THAT THEIR SON WAS ACTUALLY ALSO WITH THEM IN WICHITA, KANSAS FOR A SKATING COMPETITION, BUT HE HAD FINISHED EARLY. HE HAD DONE A SEPARATE EVENT FROM HIS PARENTS, AND HE HAD ACTUALLY CAUGHT A DIFFERENT FLIGHT HOME. BOTH THE SON OF THE COACHES, AS WELL AS THE FATHERS OF THE TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE KILLED IN THAT CRASH, THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO WASHINGTON, D.C. RIGHT NOW TO RECEIVE UPDATES. SO ONCE AGAIN, THAT TRAGIC UPDATE COMING TO US FROM THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON IN NORWOOD, ALSO A VERY TRAGIC SENSE OF DEJA VU FOR THAT SKATING CLUB AS THEY LOST SEVERAL SKATERS IN A PLANE CRASH TO NATIONAL TO INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PRAGUE. THAT WAS BACK IN 1961. SO OF COURSE, THIS IS A TRAGEDY THEY’VE DEALT WITH BEFORE AND SADLY, A TRAGEDY THEY ARE DEALING WITH ONCE AGAIN. WE ARE CONTINUING TO UPDATE YOU ON THIS PLANE CRASH, THIS MIDAIR PLANE CRASH. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE MORNING AND WE WILL BREAK INTO PROGRAMING AS WARRANTED. WE WILL ALSO HAVE THE VERY LATEST FOR YOU COMING UP TODAY ON NEWS CENTER FIVE AT NOON. FOR NO
US Figure Skating has seen tragedy before: All about the 1961 world team plane crash
Updated: 12:35 PM EST Jan 30, 2025
President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday morning that there were no survivors after an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.The jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and the Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided while the jet was landing at the airport.Numerous passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342, which was coming into Washington from Wichita, Kansas, were returning to the East Coast from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating National Championship competition and annual National Development Camp.Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, said 14 members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, six of whom are affiliated with his club, were on board American Airlines Flight 5342.This is not the first time air tragedy has struck the U.S. Figure Skating Association.In 1961, the entire U.S. national team lost their lives in a plane crash en route to the world championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.The Sabena Flight 548 crash was an aviation accident that occurred on Feb. 15, 1961, near Brussels, Belgium. The aircraft, a Boeing 707, was en route from New York City to Brussels when it crashed during its final approach to the Brussels airport. All 72 people on board, including 11 crew members and 61 passengers, were killed, along with one person on the ground.Eighteen athletes and 16 coaches were among the passengers, as well as family members and skating officials. The loss of so many top American skaters devastated the sport and led to the cancelation of the championships out of respect for the victims.The tragedy had lasting effects on the figure skating community. The USFSA launched a Memorial Fund, which has provided over $20 million in financial support to athletes for skating-related and academic expenses. Over the years, the Memorial Fund has supported thousands of athletes, including Olympic champions such as Peggy Fleming, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton and Meryl Davis and Charlie White.The full list of victims in American Airlines Flight 5342 has yet to be released, but more victims are expected to be identified. Click here for updates.
President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday morning that there were no survivors after an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.
The jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and the Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided while the jet was landing at the airport.
Numerous passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342, which was coming into Washington from Wichita, Kansas, were returning to the East Coast from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating National Championship competition and annual National Development Camp.
Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, said 14 members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, six of whom are affiliated with his club, were on board American Airlines Flight 5342.
This is not the first time air tragedy has struck the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
In 1961, the entire U.S. national team lost their lives in a plane crash en route to the world championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
The Sabena Flight 548 crash was an aviation accident that occurred on Feb. 15, 1961, near Brussels, Belgium. The aircraft, a Boeing 707, was en route from New York City to Brussels when it crashed during its final approach to the Brussels airport. All 72 people on board, including 11 crew members and 61 passengers, were killed, along with one person on the ground.
Eighteen athletes and 16 coaches were among the passengers, as well as family members and skating officials. The loss of so many top American skaters devastated the sport and led to the cancelation of the championships out of respect for the victims.
The tragedy had lasting effects on the figure skating community. The USFSA launched a Memorial Fund, which has provided over $20 million in financial support to athletes for skating-related and academic expenses.
Over the years, the Memorial Fund has supported thousands of athletes, including Olympic champions such as Peggy Fleming, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton and Meryl Davis and Charlie White.
The full list of victims in American Airlines Flight 5342 has yet to be released, but more victims are expected to be identified. Click here for updates.
