BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday called news of an airplane crash in Washington, D.C. that killed six people with ties to a Massachusetts figure skating club “devastating.”
“Devastating to hear how this tragic event has touched folks from all over the country, including here in Massachusetts,” Healey said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Thursday morning.
“My heart goes out to the Skating Club of Boston, and the loved ones of the skaters, parents, and coaches lost in last night’s crash,” the governor said.
“My thoughts are with survivors, victims and their families,” Healey said in another social media post late Wednesday night, before news broke of the victims’ ties to the Bay State. “Grateful for the quick action of first responders in the wake of this terrible tragedy.”
Army helicopter, plane crash: See impact caught on video, hear air traffic control (graphic warning)
Two figure skating coaches for the Skating Club of Boston, two teenage figure skaters, and the mothers of the skaters were on the American Airlines plane that was involved in a deadly midair collision with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.
Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, identified the figure skaters as 13-year-old Jinna Han of Mansfield and 16-year-old Spencer Lane of Barrington, Rhode Island. He identified their mothers as Jin Han and Christine Lane.
The coaches, identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed twice in the Olympics. They lived in Norwood, according to Zeghibe.
Devastating to hear how this tragic event has touched folks from all over the country, including here in Massachusetts.
— Maura Healey (@MassGovernor) January 30, 2025
My heart goes out to the Skating Club of Boston, and the loved ones of the skaters, parents, and coaches lost in last night’s crash.https://t.co/aKTLMgVTTd
Zeghibe said the athletes, coaches and parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp, following last week’s U.S. Championships in Wichita. The camp is for young competitive skaters.
The club sent 18 athletes to compete at the U.S. Championships, and it sent 12 athletes to the National Development Camp, he said.
“Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” Zeghibe said. “Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family.”
Surveillance video captured the crash, and shows the airplane colliding with an Army helicopter and falling into the icy Potomac River.
“We are a nation in mourning,” President Donald Trump said in a press conference late Thursday morning, before holding a moment of silence for the crash victims.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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