14 members of the figure skating community killed in plane crash, including six linked to a Boston club.

NORWOOD, Mass. (NB360) — Among the 14 members of the skating community who tragically died when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River on Wednesday night were two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two world champion coaches from Boston.

Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, stated on Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among the victims, along with 1994 pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. In total, 14 victims were returning from a national development camp for aspiring young skaters after the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, according to Zeghibe.

“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,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community.”

The Kremlin confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were on board. Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion who has placed fourth at senior nationals for the past three years, narrowly missing the podium on Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.

Maxim Naumov flew home on Monday. “He had no reason to stay at the national development camp,” Zeghibe said during a briefing at the rink about 30 minutes south of Boston.

“Both of his parents were with him while he was competing. It’s well-known Mom was always too nervous to watch him skate," the club official said, pausing to contain his emotions. “But his dad was with him, and Dad was in the ‘kiss-and-cry’ sharing his great performance.”

Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane, along with three soldiers on a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter, are presumed dead after the collision in Washington on Wednesday night. No immediate cause was identified, but officials reported clear flight conditions as the jet from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter entered its path.

Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said officials do not believe anyone survived.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “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.”

Recognized as one of the most prestigious clubs globally, the Skating Club of Boston has produced Olympic and world champions such as Dick Button and Tenley Albright, Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie, and numerous U.S. champions.

Among them were Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the pairs title last week. The club sent 18 skaters to Wichita, including Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday.

Spencer Lane, a sectionals champion, had gained popularity in the skating community on social media, where he has thousands of TikTok followers. On Wednesday, he posted a video of himself performing a triple toe loop to conclude the development camp.

“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in November. It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people,” Lane shared in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

He later posted a photo of himself aboard the plane just before departing from Wichita.

“I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident,” said reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who secured his third consecutive national title in Wichita. “The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words.”

Naumov and Shishkova relocated to the U.S. and became coaches, initially at the International Skating Center of Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club, which has been a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912.

For the Boston club, the accident was an eerie reminder of a 1961 plane crash that claimed the entire U.S. delegation en route to the world championships in Prague. The world championships were canceled that year to honor the American team lost in the crash.

“Almost half of everybody on board that plane were from this club," Zeghibe said. “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 has just now, almost 60 years later, been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash.”

The European championships are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia, and are expected to proceed as scheduled.

“The International Skating Union and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the ISU stated. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

Zeghibe mentioned that the club is moving forward with plans to host the world championships at the TD Garden from March 25-30. In the lobby of the club's new facility, banners promoting the event were displayed alongside a table supporting the contingent in Wichita.

Flowers began arriving at the reception desk by late morning. At the practice rink, a girl warmed up while a Zamboni cleaned the ice.

“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," Zeghibe said. “We’re pretty busy and we can’t take a break. We need to keep moving.”