BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS, The Skating Club of Boston on Thursday held a public vigil at Boston Common’s Frog Pond to honor members of the skating community who lost their lives in the Washington, D.C. plane crash one year ago.
The club lost six members in the tragedy, including coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, skater Spencer Lane and his mother Christine, and skater Jinna Han and her mother Jin. They were among the passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided mid-air with a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025. Sixty-seven people in total were killed.
“Flight 5342 didn’t just take six of my friends. It reminded me to love what I have in front of me,” said Jimmy Ma, a Team USA skater.
The solemn memorial included a moment of silence, on-ice performances, and a reflection ceremony where attendees lit the pond with glow sticks as the victims’ names were read aloud.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also attended to pay her respects.
“People care about their loved ones, we remember their loved ones. We will be inspired to do good and work hard in their memory,” Healey said.
The Skating Club of Boston explained it chose to hold the vigil on Boston Common rather than at its own facility due to the overwhelming public support it has received.
“I think there was a fair amount of tears tonight, I think it also helps in the healing process,” said Doug Zeghibe, CEO and Executive Director of The Skating Club of Boston. “I think we’re all in disbelief that it’s been a year. Added disbelief when you hear from the hearings and the reports how senseless this was.”
The National Transportation Safety Board held a hearing on the crash Tuesday and concluded that it was 100 percent preventable.
