It’s still so hard to process what happened on January 29. It remains perhaps one of the most devasting air disasters that the sports community has faced in recent memory. More than 28 members of the 60 people on board belonged to the figure skating community. And all of them lost their lives as the flight was returning from the National Developmental Camp in Wichita. It’s been nearly 5 weeks since that fateful event and the community has finally recovered enough in their grievance to pay their respects and pay honor to the lost ones.
Recently, U.S. Figure Skating shared a really emotional message on X about a heartbreaking tragedy that has hit the skating community. The Olympic champion shared, “On January 29, 2025, our U.S. Figure Skating family suffered an unimaginable loss when several members of our community—athletes, coaches, and family members—perished aboard American Airlines flight 5342 outside of Washington, D.C.” The flight was coming back from the National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas, where young skaters take the next big step in their careers.
It’s been devastating, and the community is coming together to support the victims’ families.They’ve set up a family support fund to help those affected by the tragedy. “If you’d like to join us in supporting these families, please visit our site. Your support means the world,” the post shared, with a link too.
A message from our Olympic Championshttps://t.co/ASzVE1qiWV pic.twitter.com/BBu8snmOFP
— U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) March 3, 2025
A group of skaters who finished their Wichita National Development Camp waited for a flight after three days of working with top coaches. Many young athletes experienced this major event following the completion of the 2025 National Championships. Unfortunately, the camp ended very early for some!
According to U.S. Figure Skating, the skaters, coaches, and families on the plane were from clubs along the East Coast, including Washington, D.C., Boston, and Delaware. Among those lost were talented young athletes, including Franco Aparicio, 14, Brielle Beyer, 12, Jinna Han, 13, Cory Haynos, 15, Sean Kay, 11, Spencer Lane, 16, Alydia Livingston, 11, Everly Livingston, 14, Olivia Eve Ter, 12, Angela Yang, 11, and Edward Zhou, 16, just to name a few.
U.S. Figure Skating expressed its support to the families of the victims, stating that it will provide continuous support during this moment of crisis. And the biggest example was when watching the “Legacy on Ice” event, one could plainly observe how the skating community joined forces.
The figure skating community comes together to heal after tragedy
During the “Legacy on Ice,” which was a memorial and fundraising event in Washington, D.C., on March 2, Isabella Aparicio performed with such emotion that all audience members joined her in feeling her passionate state. The routine ended with Aparicio kneeling on the ice before hiding her face in her hands because she was completely overcome by emotions.
She held a poignant yet forceful exchange of loss after the plane crash took away her father and her brother. The crowd instantly understood her sorrow when she performed and so they stood to applaud her while several people in the audience quietly brushed away tears. Isabella ended her performance before receiving standing applause, which continued to intensify throughout her departure from the ice surface.
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