(NewsNation) — The figure skating community has reacted with sorrow over the news that several members of U.S. figure skating were on board the passenger plane that crashed Wednesday night.
The American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter as it approached the runway at Reagan National Airport. The flight from Wichita, Kansas, had 60 passengers and four crew on board.
Two on board were identified as Russian skaters Eveangia Shiskova and Vadim Naumov. The couple were pairs world champions 30 years ago and later became coaches.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the 1994 champions were on board.
“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.”
The Skating Club of Boston also confirmed skaters Jinna Han, 16, and her mother Jin Han and Spencer Lane, 16, and his mother Christine Lane were on board.
The club issued a statement saying it was devastated by the loss.
“Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together,” the statement said. “Everyone is like family.”
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed several community members were on board after returning home from a training camp.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available,” the group said in a statement.
The crash is not the first time an air tragedy has struck the U.S. figure skating community. In 1961, the 18-member U.S. figure skating team died in a crash outside Brussels, along with six coaches, four officials and some family members. They had been en route to the world championships in Prague.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.