Teen figure skaters from Boston, their moms and two Russian-born former world champions are among the dozens of passengers feared dead after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, DC, Wednesday night.
The identities of the 60 passengers and four crew members on board began to emerge Thursday as authorities revealed there were no survivors of the fiery tragedy that was shaping up to be the deadliest commercial crash in the US in more than two decades.
Those who boarded the flight, which went down over the frigid Potomac River late Wednesday, included at least 14 members of the US Figure Skating team, officials said.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Spencer Lane and mom Christine Lane
Spencer Lane, a rising star affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston, was among the skaters on board the downed flight, according to the club’s CEO, Doug Zeghibe.
“Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid,” Zeghibe said. “Highly talented, has not been skating that long, and has been rocketing to the top of the sport. Very fun, very cerebral.”
Spencer, who is believed to be about 16 years old, had shared a tragic last photo on social media of the plane’s right wing just moments before taking off Wednesday evening.
His mom, Christine, was also on the plane, according to the club.
Jinna Han and her mom Jin Han
Fellow teen skater, Jinna Han, was also on the plane, the Boston club confirmed.
Jinna is believed to be about 15 years old.
“Jinna, just a wonderful kid. A great athlete, great competitor. Loved by all,” Zeghibe said.
Her mother, Jin Han, was on board, too.
Zeghibe said both of the skaters’ mothers were “dedicated” and always “made sacrifices.”
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov
The teens’ Russian-born coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were among the passengers, the Boston club said.
Shishkova and Naumov, who were married to each other, won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships in Japan and competed twice in the Olympics.
They later relocated to the US following the collapse of the Soviet Union and coached generations of young skaters in New England.
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Both had qualified as sports instructors in St. Petersburg, Russia, and each had at least 20 years of coaching experience, according to their profiles on the Skating Club of Boston website.
They also coached at the International Skating Center of Connecticut.
Their son, Maxim Naumov, is also a competitive figure skater for the United States but was not on the plane. He returned to Virginia on Monday after skating at the national championships.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was among those to offer condolences in the wake of the crash.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed,” Peskov said.
“There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash.”
Inna Volyanskaya
Inna Volyanskaya, a fellow coach, was a former skater who competed for the pre-1991 Soviet Union, Russian state media said.
More recently, she was a coach at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia, the club’s general manager Rob Lorenzen told NBC Washington.
“Inna also had a lot of success internationally achieving gold, silver, and bronze medals in various international competitions,” the club’s website says.
Sam Lilley
One of the American Airlines pilots on board the downed jet was identified by his family as Sam Lilley — a 28-year-old first officer who was engaged to be married.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” his father, Tim Lilley, said in a Facebook tribute.
“He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall,” said Tim Lilley, a veteran Army helicopter pilot.
“It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much,” the elder Lilley added.
Ian Epstein
Ian Epstein was one of two flight attendants on board the plane, his relatives said.
Epstein worked for PSA Airlines – a subsidiary of American Airlines, according to his Facebook page.
“It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children … inform you that Ian Epstein was one of the flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided last night when they were landing in DC,” one of his relatives, Debi Epstein, wrote in a social media tribute.
“Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC.”
Flight crew, other skaters and soldiers
Separately, US Figure Skating confirmed that several skaters, coaches, and their family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp and championship meet in Wichita, Kansas.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the sporting body said in a statement, without releasing any names.
American Airlines said it was mourning the loss of four crew members, while US officials confirmed three soldiers were aboard the downed helicopter. None of their names have been released publicly yet.
It comes as first responders continued to search for bodies Thursday after pulling at least 28 victims from the icy river in the wake of the wreck.
“We don’t believe there are any survivors,” John Donnelly, DC’s fire chief, said. “We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”
With Post wires
