On January 29, 2025, a plane carrying members of the United States Figure Skating National Development Camp crashed with a helicopter outside Washington, D.C., resulting in tragedy.
Among those slain were 13-year-old competitive figure skater Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Han, as well as other skaters, instructors, and parents from The Skating Club of Boston.
The flight was returning from Wichita, Kansas, where the event had taken place following the U.S. Championships. Authorities conducted a large search and recovery effort.
The Skating Club of Boston confirmed the identity of its members on board. According to Doug Zeghibe, CEO and Executive Director of The Skating Club of Boston, “Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy.”
Jinna was a competitive figure skater who excelled in big tournaments such as the 2025 Eastern Sectional Singles Final for novice women’s free skate.
She earned a reputation for technical prowess, composure, and stage presence. In 2023, she received recognition for her outstanding performances in The Skating Club of Boston’s Ice Chips presentation.
Doug Zeghibe praised Jinna’s talent and personality, describing her as “in it to win it, full of grace, a serious competitor but so nice about it and so supportive of her fellow competitors… just a delight but for a little 13-year-old, full of grace.”
Kat Cornetta, a journalist and skating aficionado, said on X, “I am really devastated by the loss of everyone on that DC aircraft, but especially Jinna Han.” She was an incredible skater.”
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She also reminisced on a previous article on Jinna, in which she commended her talent and commitment to the sport.
A Facebook user who identified her daughter London as Jinna’s friend commented, “London and her friend Jinna Han, a dazzling star lost in the plane disaster, will continue to inspire us. London is grieving![…] Just horrified!”
Before leaving, The Skating Club of Boston said on Instagram, “Good luck to our Club athletes who are set to compete at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships and 2025 U.S. High Performance Development Camp next week in Wichita, Kansas.” We are really proud of you and cannot wait to cheer you on!”
Authorities verified that there were no survivors and said the search and recovery effort began overnight with all available resources.
The president responded to the incident by saying, “We are in mourning; this has really shaken a lot of people” and emphasizing that “the work has now shifted to a recovery mission.” Unfortunately, there are no survivors.
The Skating Club of Boston, formed more than a century ago, is one of the oldest figure skating clubs in the United States. It has produced over 145 national winners and several Olympians. Their new state-of-the-art facility in Norwood, MA, builds on their tradition of teaching elite skaters.
The crash killed bright young athletes, seasoned instructors, and dedicated parents. Many recognized Jinna Han’s ability and potential, viewing her as a rising star in the sport. The figure skating community, families, and friends continue to grieve.
A few of the skating trainers and previous world champions were also on board the plane.
The airliner was on its way to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it crashed with a military Black Hawk chopper.
On the night of Wednesday, January 29, a chopper carrying three military personnel and an aircraft carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in midair before falling into the Potomac River.
US Figure Skating claimed that the competitors, coaches, and family members on board were returning from the National Development Camp, which coincided with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
The governing body also announced that Russian-born ice skating teachers and former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were accompanying the group of junior skaters.
According to reports, the married couple has resided in the United States since at least 1998, where they coach young ice skaters. They gained international prominence when they won the couples figure skating world championship in 1994.
Ludmila Velikova, the coach who helped shape Shishkova and Naumov’s skating careers from an early age, informed the media that the airplane carried 14 athletes and trainers. Velikova, speaking in St. Petersburg, expressed satisfaction that their son, Maxim, who had participated in Kansas, was not on the same aircraft.
US Figure Skating is now in mourning. They continued in their statement, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families close to our hearts.” We will continue to follow the situation and provide any information as it becomes available.
Officials have not announced the number of skaters or the identities of those on the jet. However, in the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, competitors competed in singles, couples, and ice dance.
This year’s competition featured all four 2024 US champions. These include Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam, and Danny O’Shea.
On the other side, sports expert Christine Brennan has emphasized the importance of the National Development Camp in nurturing new skaters. Many of the passengers on the plane were considered potential competitors for big events, including the 2030 Olympic Games, as she mentioned.
Spencer Lane, one of the participants, was overjoyed to have been accepted into the National Development Camp, a goal he had sought since learning about the program. To commemorate the occasion, he posted a collage of images and a video on Instagram, posing with fellow campers and expressing his enthusiasm for the event.
Unfortunately, what he most wished for has become a tragedy. Lane shared an ominous photograph on his Instagram account just hours before the disaster, seemingly taken from inside the ill-fated airplane.
The view through the aircraft’s window captures the plane’s wing just before takeoff. The image’s description stated that he was traveling from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Jinna was destined for big things. Here’s what I had written about her in 2023, after she performed at The Skating Club of Boston’s Ice Chips (their spring show.) pic.twitter.com/NxKQOv0t5k
— Kat Cornetta (@KatCornetta) January 30, 2025
Authorities have yet to establish the entire number of victims from the mid-air collision between the airplane and the military helicopter, but they have indicated that the chances of survival are slim.
However, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly has stated that so far, 27 dead have been found from the passenger flight and one from the military helicopter. Donnelly noted that the search activities have now shifted to a recovery operation.