Tragic Plane Crash Claims Lives of Figure Skating Community Members
A devastating plane crash near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., has left the figure skating community in mourning. American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with a U.S. Army helicopter while attempting to land. Authorities have confirmed that there were no survivors.
According to Doug Zeghibe, executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, 14 members of the figure skating community were on board, including six associated with the Boston club. Among them were teenage skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, along with their mothers.
Former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who competed in the Olympics and had been coaching at the Boston club since 2017, were also among the victims. Their son, Maxim Naumov, a competitive U.S. figure skater, had returned home earlier.
A Loss That Shook the Skating Community
Spencer Lane, the 2025 Intermediate Eastern Sectionals Champion, was a rising star with a strong presence on social media. Just hours before the crash, he posted a video of himself performing a triple toe loop at the U.S. Figure Skating Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.
Alexandr Kirsanov, a coach, was also on the flight with two of his young students. His wife, Natalya Gudin, who stayed home in Delaware, expressed her devastation:
“I lost my husband, I lost my students, I lost my friends.”
The Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society confirmed in a statement that “beloved members” of their team were also on board, though they did not specify how many.
Nationwide Grief and Tributes
U.S. Figure Skating released a statement confirming that several community members were lost in the crash:
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO, Sarah Hirshland, also paid tribute, calling the victims “remarkable young people and talents” who embodied perseverance, resilience, and hope.
Authorities reported that 27 bodies had been recovered from the aircraft as of Thursday morning, along with the remains of the three soldiers aboard the helicopter. The search and recovery operation is ongoing.
This heartbreaking accident has left a lasting impact on the figure skating world, a tight-knit community that shares not just a sport but a family-like bond.
