The plane crash outside Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport left the figure skating world in shock Thursday as reports revealed that many members of the figure skating community were on the flight that collided with a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night.
The skaters were returning from a national development camp following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. The exact number of victims with ties to figure skating is still unknown.
Many of figure skating’s most popular stars were quick to post their thoughts and prayers in support of the victims. Olympic gold medalist and NBC figure skating analyst Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, a former figure skater and NBC partner, made posts to their Instagram accounts as did Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Wagner. Former Olympian Tonya Harding made a post on X (formerly Twitter) expressing her devastation.
However, no one had a more emotional response than two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan.
During a press conference Thursday, Kerrigan revealed that she knew at least two skaters on the plane: Spencer Lane and Jinna Hahn. Both Lane and Hahn’s mothers, Molly Lane and Jin Hahn, were reportedly also on the flight.
‘I’ve never seen someone love skating as much as these two, and that’s why I think it hurts so much,’ said Kerrigan. ‘When you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it’s even a bigger blow.’
WATCH: Full press conference with Nancy Kerrigan
Six confirmed dead from Skating Club of Boston
Kerrigan’s ties to the plane crash run even deeper though. Kerrigan is a Skating Club of Boston alum, although she made it clear that she had never skated at the club’s new facilities. With six of the passengers on the plane confirmed to be members of the same club, Kerrigan was obviously wrecked by the news.
‘Our community is pretty small,’ Kerrigan said through tears. ‘So, it’s not just here that’s hurting. It’s every rink that has skating, has some sort of feeling toward this. It’s tragic.’
Kerrigan expressed that she thought it was ‘weird’ for her to be doing interviews so soon after the crash. She did, however, note that it was important for her to be present for the press conference in support of her community.