Promising Korean American Figure Skater Passes Away In Tragic Plane Crash
Jinna Han, a teenage figure skating prodigy, was confirmed to be among the 67 victims who lost their lives in the accident.
On January 29 at around 8:53 pm (local time), a passenger plane operated by PSA Airlines collided with a US Army Black Hawk (Sikorsky H-60) helicopter, resulting in a deadly crash near Washington D.C. The army helicopter was reportedly conducting flight training, and the passenger plane was approaching the Ronald Reagan Airport to land when the collision happened. Both carriers crashed into the nearby Potomac River.
The mid-air collision caught on CCTV | Sky News
Though recovery efforts are still ongoing, it is presumed that all 67 people on board, including 64 on the plane and three soldiers on the helicopter, have been killed in the accident. A promising Korean American figure skater, Jinna Han, is reportedly one of them.
Jinna Han | Boston Skating Club
Hailing from Boston, Han was a dedicated athlete, training almost every day at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts. Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Boston Skating Club, recalled her as a âwonderful kidâ and a âgreat athlete, great competitor, loved by all.â
According to CBS News, Zeghibe confirmed that Han was on the flight with a fellow figure skating prodigy, Spencer Lane, who was adopted from Korea. Both of them were on the flight with their mothers. Additionally, the couple Evgenia Shushkova and Vadim Naumov, who were the coaches and the former 1994 World Figure Skating Championship winners, were also on the same flight.
Evgenia Shushkova and Vadim Naumov | CNN
Han and Lane were among the approximately 20 figure skaters on board the passenger plane, along with their parents and coaches. They were all on their way home after participating in a national training camp for promising young skaters in Wichita, Kansas.
On January 30, US President Donald Trump stated in a press conference, âSadly, there are no survivors,â adding that 27 bodies had been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter. The fire chief in Washington D.C. also held a press conference, stating, âDespite all efforts, we are now at the point of transitioning from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,â implying that they were looking for the bodies, having eliminated the possibility of any living survivors.
Recovery operations ongoing at the crash site in the Potomac River | Reuters
The Associated Press has called this incident one of the deadliest aviation accidents since November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines passenger flight crashed into a residential area shortly after taking off from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, killing all 260 people on board.
We pray that all the victims of this tragedy rest in peace.
Source: Chosun Biz
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