Potomac Crash

Former director of Connecticut skating center was on the American Airlines flight that crashed: officials

NBC Universal, Inc.

Doug Zeghibe, owner of The Skating Club of Boston, said that the crash would have “long-reaching impacts” for the community and that the club previously lost dozens of members in a plane crash in 1961.

The former director of figure skating at the International Skating Center in Simsbury was on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, according to officials from a Massachusetts skating club he has been affiliated with.

More than 60 people were on the flight and several of the passengers were figure skaters and two of their Russian coaches who were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Among them were six members of the community of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts -- two teenage skaters, two coaches and two parents, according to Doug Zeghibe, the CEO and executive director of the skating club.

He said they included Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

Shishkova and Naumov who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice.

Naumov was the director of the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury from 2011 to 2016, according to the website for the Skating Club of Boston.

“A tragic loss for all of us, a loss of knowledge and experience and we are all just in grief and disbelief," Sharon Funderburk, and ice skating coach at the Veterans Memorial Rink in West Hartford, said.

“When they said, Wichita, I'm like, that's weird. I said, that's where they just had Nationals and it kind of hit me," Linda Putkonen, Learn to Skate director, said.

“It was devastating. But everybody knew them. Even if you didn't skate, we took your kids skates to be sharpened by him,” Donna Kasper, of Southington, said.

Naumov and Shishkova have a son, Maxim Naumov, who also trains in Norwood. He returned home on an earlier plane, according to Zeghibe.

Airline passengers in Connecticut are responding after the tragic collision of a military helicopter and a plane carrying more than 60 passengers in DC.

A representative of the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury said they are heartbroken by the tragedy of the plane crash.

"We are heartbroken by the tragedy that has impacted our skating community. The skating community is small yet incredibly strong. Our hearts are broken as we process the devastating loss and uncertainty surrounding those involved in this tragedy,” Juliette Zielinski, Learn to Skate Director and Private Figure Skating Coach, said in a statement, speaking on behalf of the International Skating Center of Connecticut.

An American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter collided and crashed Wednesday night into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport.

“Many of those aboard were not only training partners, fellow coaches, and colleagues but also dear friends and members of our extended skating family. During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones. As a community, we will lean on one another for strength and support. We appreciate the outpouring of love while we navigate this difficult time,” Zielinski added.

From the Skating Club of Boston

Skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Jinna, about 15 years old, and Spencer, about 16, were traveling with their mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane, and their coaches, said Zeghibe.

Officials said all 64 people who were on the passenger plane and the three people aboard the helicopter are feared to be dead.

Twenty-eight bodies have been recovered, officials said at a news conference Thursday morning.

Get updates on the crash here.

The Connecticut Skating Academy said they are devastated by the loss of life and grateful that.

"The Connecticut Skating Academy is devastated by the tragic loss of life from yesterday’s plane crash in Washington, DC. While we are extremely grateful that our skaters, coaches and board members who were in Wichita are home safe, we grieve the loss of friends, coaches, fellow skaters and their families. Our hearts are broken, and we send our deepest condolences to everyone who was affected by this tragedy," the Connecticut Skating Academy said in a statement.

Contact Us