D.C. Plane Crash Rising Teen Ice Skating Star … Identified Among the Late Victims
Published January 31, 2025 9:53 AM PST
We’ve only scratched the surface of the impact the Washington, D.C. plane crash has had on the figure skating community … especially as new victims are identified in the wake of the catastrophe. Jinna Han, a 13-year-old figure skater from Mansfield, Mass., has been identified among the 67 people tragically killed in Wednesday night’s midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter.
Jinna had been traveling with 16-year-old Spencer Lane, a fellow skater from the prominent Skating Club of Boston, as well as their respective mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane.
The club says they lost 6 people with ties to their community in the crash … including Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova — 1994 World Pairs Champions-turned-coaches.
The skating club had participated in the developmental camp in Wichita, Kansas … having sent 12 students, along with their parents and coaches, to the skills camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The plane was traveling from Wichita to D.C. when it was destroyed.
Jinna, who had been a member of TSCOB since 2020, has been remembered as a wildly talented young figure skater … with her last major competition at the 2025 Eastern Sectionals going viral in the aftermath of her death.
Watch the video … Jinna appears to be a master of her sport, performing many impressive tricks — including 6 triple jumps. She ultimately placed fourth in the competition, raising her prominence within the skating community.
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The loss is insurmountable … so you can understand why Olympian Nancy Kerrigan, whose home club is The Skating Club of Boston, had a tearful reaction to Wednesday’s fatal collision.
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The story is expected to only get more heartbreaking as recovery operations continue and bodies are removed from the Potomac River … with President Donald Trump confirming Thursday there are no survivors in the crash.
Other figure skaters identified in the crash include Olivia Ter, Brielle Beyer, Cory Haynos, Angela Yang and Sean Kay. A young pilot, several flight attendants, and a Howard University professor also perished in the collision.
The cause of the crash is still unknown … the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are currently investigating.
