A YOUNG figure skater shared a now-tragic picture from inside the doomed American Airlines plane that slammed into a Black Hawk helicopter and crashed near Washington DC.
Spencer Lane, 26, is one of 64 passengers believed to be dead after the aircraft shattered into three pieces and plunged into the Potomac River on Wednesday night.
It was a clear night when the plane departed from Wichita, Kansas, at around 5 pm ET and arrived at Washington DC, at about 8:40 pm ET.
As it approached the Regan Airport runway, a US Army Black Hawk flying on a training mission appeared to zoom straight into the plane’s path, causing a massive fireball to erupt.
The aircraft plunged into the ice-black waters, and everyone is believed to be dead. So far, 28 bodies have been pulled from the river.
Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe confirmed that skaters Lane, Jinna Han, and 1994 world champions Evgenia Shishkova were all killed in the crash.
They were among the 14 members of the skating community who were killed on their way from the US Figure Skating Championships.
The competition ended on Sunday, but several exceptional skaters stayed for an elite training camp that was held in the days following.
It comes as…
- All 64 passengers are feared dead
- CCTV captures moment of the crash
- Chilling audio reveals the final moments of flight
- World champion figure skaters believed to be on board
- Husband reveals wife’s final text from doomed jet
- Rescue efforts hindered by freezing & dark conditions
Kent was one of those who qualified for the training, and he shared a picture from inside the plane on his Instagram at about 7 pm ET.
He snapped a picture of the plane’s wing as they sat on the run and wrote “ICT->DCA,” which stands for the Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Kent had shared another heart-wrenching post hours before, where he gushed about qualifying for the national development camp in November.
“It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing,” he said.
“I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people!”
Kent was coached by Shishkova and Naumov, who are married and have a son named Maxim.
It’s unclear whether their son, a rising figure skating star, was also on the flight.
HORROR CONDITIONS
What began as a rescue mission has turned into a grim recovery operation as frigid waters and ink-black conditions left tragic victims with a slim chance at survival.
Thursday morning’s rising sun showed pieces of the crumbled plane jutting out from the Potomac, but most of the craft was fully submerged.
Horrific surveillance footage captured the moment of the crash, and chilling audio revealed the final moments of the plane’s flight.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said they’re still investigating “why the military aircraft came into the flight path” of the plane.
He described the pilots as “experienced,” saying the lead captain had been with the airline for eight years, and his first officer for two.
Officials confirmed that everything about the American Airlines flight’s take-off and descent was normal.
President Donald Trump has shared his horror and shock at the crash, especially after the pilots were flying on a clear night.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“It is a clear night, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn.
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”
If there are no survivors, this would be the deadliest US air crash in nearly 24 years.
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