were from all over spencer lane, a 16—year—old figure skaterfrom rhode island, and his mother, christine lanejust go, whether he was in his from the adults running the club to the smallest they alljust adored him. and vadim naumov were both coaches from the community and victims of the crash. 28—year—old sam lilley has been identified as one of one of the pilots of the american airlines flight. "my heart is breaking," he wrote in a facebook post. flight has since emerged. second, for your signature, we have a presidential- memorandum... we don't care what race they are. and you know, you're talking about extremely complex things. and if they don't have a great brain, a great power of the brain, they're not going to be very good of national tragedy. for now, communities are grieving what is one merlyn thomas, bbc news, washington. can you the scene live at the fiiithefihflof atzreagan airport. the scene of crash, the potomac river, recovery efforts have where recovery efforts have caused because been caused because conditions are so hazardous. dark, freezing waters. that will freezing waters. th

spencer lane, a 16—year—old figure skaterfrom rhode island, and his mother, christine lane, tojust gohe was in his home club in boston, was just loved by everyone, from the adults running are, you know, competing for a shot at the olympics. they alljust adored him. of one of the pilots of the american radio chatter. traffic control may have been short staffed. hires for the fatal crash without providing any evidence. we want the most competent people. we want the most competent people, especially in those positions. his critics have accused him of politicising a moment of national tragedy. for now, communities are grieving what is one of the deadliest air crashes in recent us history. this is the live in the river, where recovery potomac river, where recovery efforts have been caused because conditions so hard bear. water, dark to bear. freezing water, dark as well. 67 people have died in divers are this accident. divers are their search and pausing their search and efforts because it is recovery efforts because it is simply too to simply too dangerous to at the we will continue at th

the two, along with their moms, christine lane and jen hahn, were returning from an elite training camp for top young athletes. gina, seen here competing for u.s. figure skating. >> we watched gina just grow up here from just a tiny little tyke into this amazingly mature 13 year old, a great performer, a great competitor, and off the ice, a great kid. >> with these kids. we they are leagues ahead of us. when we were their age. >> seeing gina and spencer develop so quickly on ice, we just can't see them grow every day. >> their coaches and figure skating world champions jenna shishkova and vadim naumov were also among the victims. >> it's not just losing training mates, it's not just losing friends. but it truly feels like you're losing family members because we're not going to be able to see them every day anymore. >> those touched by this tragedy now trying to make sense of it all. >> this is our time. god, that you are calling us. among the other victims, 28 year old first officer samuel lilly, who was copiloting that american airlines flight. his family saying he was newly engaged an

christine lane and jenn hahn, i imagine this community is much like one big family. >> there's no doubtou know, we have 1100 members here at the skating club of boston. we are a tight knit community. but what this tragedy has shown to us is just how tight knit the global skating community is. and just hundreds of texts and emails and voicemails from around the world reaching out. just to offer condolences and support and how everybody comes together. and it's across the decades to whether it's tenley albright, nancy kerrigan, or just recently, tara lipinski. it's comforting. >> how do you want people to remember the coaches your club lost? vadim naumov and evgenia shishkova. >> phenomenal coaches. they were what we would call developmental coaches. they took kids from their very first steps on the ice, and they turned them into champions, including their son max. they were raised in saint petersburg, russia. they learned the saint petersburg technique of coaching and skating. that is something they brought to us here in boston. they had very high standards, but they were just the kindes

that includes athletes gina hahn and spencer lane, their mothers, jean hahn and christine lane, were also killed in the crash, as were coaches gina. rajeev ram and gina shishkova, i should say, and vadim naumov. this morning, the club ceo spoke about the organization's profound loss. skating is a very close and tight knit community. these kids and their parents, they're here at our facility in norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. it's a close, tight bond, and i think for all of us, we have lost family. a note on the coaches from the club who were killed. they are well known in the figure skating community, having won the paris world championships in 1994. in the meantime, the communication workers of america say two of its flight attendants were also on boardas well as four members of the plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters union. well, flights in and out of reagan national airport have resumed after they were halted. nbc bay area's ginger conejero saab she is live for us at sfo this midday now. ginger, is there any backup from those flights from the overnight closure into th

jenna han, known for their talent and leadership, were traveling with their mothers jin han and christine lane. >> spencer was a crazy kid, incredibly talented. jenna, just a wonderful kid, wonderful parents, great athlete, great competitor, loved by all. >> reporter: two esteemed club coaches, married couple ever gina evgenia shishkova and vadim naumov were also on board. >> when you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport. >> reporter: the skating club of boston lost 18 members in 1961 in another plane crash en route to the world championships in prague. >>> the disaster is putting a spotlight on air traffic controllers and what they do to keep us safe. >> and i can tell you that being an air traffic controller was probably the most stressful job that i have ever had. >> we talked to one former controller about his experience and the common request that could at least partially explain the crash. >>> and a mother is still waiting to get justice for her 5-year-old daughter nearly two years after her shooting death, why she's hoping things will change under a new d >>> back to

this entire tragedy, spencer lane, a 16—year—old figure skaterfrom rhode island, and his mother, christine laneo was 49 years old, his infectiousness, orjust like his, you know, ability to just go, at the olympics, they alljust adored him. "my heart is breaking," he wrote in a facebook post. second, for your signature, we have a presidential memorandum titled... hires for the fatal crash, without providing any evidence. we want the most competent people. we want the most competent people, especially in those positions. things will happen. for now, communities are grieving what is one of the deadliest air crashes in recent us history. as the investigation into what happened continues, as we've been hearing, at least 1a figure skaters died in wednesday night's collision — at the club. we came here because we needed to be we came here because we needed to be we are family, and it is e: -:= 77 and the we re were on people who were on that plane. they . our family, and of the three people onboard the military his training group said he leaves behind a wife and one—year—old son. i know people who kne

spencer lane, a 16—year—old figure skaterfrom rhode island, and his mother, christine lane, they alljustary helicopter to avoid the commercial factors into the crash and don't yet know the cause. memorandum... hires for the fatal crash without providing any evidence. we don't care what race they are. we want the most competent people, especially in those positions. and you know, you're talking about extremely complex things. and if they don't have a great brain, a great power for now, communities are grieving what is one of the deadliest air crashes in recent us history. ican i can show the live pictures from washington where the recovery operation has had to be temporarily halted because of the conditions that are there. it's very cold and it's hard for the to it's hard for the teams to search the river. also, you saw in that report that we are starting to get the names of the victims. we have more the victims. we have had more amongst those who have their . . their lives.: f their lives. there was their lives.:there was a lost their lives. there was a police officer, the filipino polic

photo on instagram just before takeoff with a simple caption i to dca. >> spencer lane was. >> flying with his mother, christine had just attended the u.s. figure skating championships and national development camp in wichita. the lanes had reportedly adopted spencer and his brother from south korea. spencer had left high school to pursue a career in figure skating. in december last year, he skated in a show organized by this woman. >> he was just. >> beaming. >> this kid was so talented. >> he'd only started skating. >> a few. >> years ago, and he had all of his triples. he came to me. and, smiling ear to ear, saying. i get it now. i understand. he started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift. he said, please let me skate again with you next year. >> that dream ended just before 9 p.m. wednesday night in the freezing potomac river. lane was part of the skating club of boston, which lost two skaters and their mothers, as well as two coaches in the crash. several other skating clubs around the country also lost members. olympic u.s. figure

young athletes gina hahn and spencer lane, their mothers, jin hahn and christine lane, and coaches yevgeniashishkova and vadim naumov. young skaters, kids as young as 11 from northern virginia, from pennsylvania and elsewhere were also on board. olympic figure skater nancy kerrigan, who was connected to the boston club, became emotional over the community's loss. >> even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. it's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together. >> joining us now, laura mitchell. she is the president of the philadelphia skating club, which lost members in this crash. they're waiting for u.s. figure skating to make those names public. laura, thank you very much. i'm so sorry for the loss of so many people. just how how are you? how is the skating community? how is the entire community doing? >> the. >> it's always. >> difficult to cope. >> with such sudden, unexpected loss. and as you just showed. >> the clip. >> from nancy. >> everyone is. >> is grieving in. different ways. >> but everyone is clearly grieving. we are. in still in a state.

christine lane. >> four minutes later, the control tower spoke with the pilot of the black hawk helicopter. the controller told the pilot to pass behind the jet. >> zubeidi sierra james risch p.a.t. 2-5 pam bondi zain verjee. this club has an aircraft in sight. separation. >> now the helicopter pilot says he saw the plane, but then just 13 seconds later, this happened. the black hawk collided with the plane, erupting into a fireball. there was an audible reaction inside of that control tower and then radio silence for several seconds. >> american 472. one star 32017. >> all right. this is when. >> tower, did you see that? american? 3132 250 mangione 3000. >> you can only imagine what was going through their minds during that silent period. and you can hear the tower scrambling to try then to redirect other flights after that crash. now, at this point, the fiery wreckage had fallen into icy waters right on the potomac. and dispatchers, they were rushing to get rescue crews right to the scene to try to help. a ground controller gave the alert that all runways at the airport were then closed,

his mother, christine lane, was also killed. jinna han was also on that plane. he was only 13. was described by the executive director of the skating club of boston as a great performer, a great competitor, a great kid. her mom, jean hahn, was also on board. the plane. also killed were evgenia shishkova and vadim naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed twice in the olympics. they represented russia, but moved to the u.s., where they launched successful coaching careers. now, legendary skater nancy kerrigan trained at the skating club of boston as a youth, and she just broke down in tears over the lives that were lost. >> i feel for the athletes, the skaters and their families, but anyone that was on that plane, not just the skaters, um, because it's just such a tragic event and we've been through tragedies before, as americans, as people, and we are strong. and i guess it's how we respond to it. and so my response was to be with people i care about and i love and need i needed support. so, um, so that's why i'm here. >> yeah. it's just so ha

christine lane was traveling with her son, spencer lane, a member of the skating club of boston, who was returning from the us figure skating national development camp in wichita, kansas. alexandr kirsanov, the coach of two of the young skaters on the flight, ian epstein, a flight attendant on that flight from wichita, wendy jo schaffer, a wife and mother of two children aged three and one. justina bayer, 42 years old, who was on the flight with her daughter brielle bayer, 12 years old. jinhan was traveling with her daughter jenna hahn, a member of the skating club of boston who was also returning from the us figure skating national development camp. evgenia shishkova, a coach with the skating club of boston. vadim naumov, a coach with the skating club of boston. it wasn't the first time for the skating club of boston to suffer such a tragedy. the director of the skating club of boston, doug zugibe, said this earlier today. >> to the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home from the national development camp at wichita, kansas, put on by u.s. figure skating, were lost in the

hahn and her mother were killed along with spencer and his mother, christine lane.nd when the community was just hearing about this, just processing this and what this all meant for all of them, they described it as like having your heart starting to explode out of your chest, just the immeasurable level of grief here. spencer is being remembered for being a force of nature who had his eye on the olympics. and then you also think about the parents, right? being a parent of a student athlete, you're also very dedicated. you're going to all of those practices and with your child every step of the way. so this community is being hit very, very hard. we're going to take a listen now to the executive director from the skating club of boston. >> we watched gina just grow up here from just a tiny little tyke into this amazingly mature 13 year old, and we talk a lot about the athletes, but i think we're going to miss their moms as much. just really good people. >> so the world figure skating championships is going to take place in march in boston this year. pam. so that, of

his mother, christine lane, was also killed. jenna hahn was only 13 and described by the executive director of the skating club of boston as a great performer, great competitor, a great kid. her mom, jin han, was also on board. that plane. also killed were were evgenia shishkova and vadim naumov, who won pairs. the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed twice in the olympics. they represented russia, but moved to the u.s., where they had launched successful coaching careers. now, legendary skater nancy kerrigan, she trained at the skating club of boston as a youth, and she just broke down in tears over the lives that were lost. >> i feel. >> for the athletes. >> the skaters and their families, but anyone that was on that plane, not just the skaters, because it's just such a tragic event and we've been through tragedies before, as americans, as people, and we are strong. and i guess it's how we respond to it. and so my response was to be with people i care about and i love and need i needed support. so, um, so t

vadim naumov and evgenia shishkova skaters spencer lane and gina hahn, and their mothers, christine laneenin. here's a tearful nancy kerrigan speaking earlier today about her club and the skating community. >> i feel for. >> the athletes. >> the skaters. >> and. >> their families, but anyone that was on that plane, not just the skaters. >> because it's. >> just such a tragic event and we've been through tragedies before, as americans, as people, and we are strong. and i guess it's how we respond to it. and so my response is to be with people i care about and i love and need i needed support. so, um, so that's why i'm here. and, i don't know, a little bit at a time. i think it's a shock. i was watching, i wasn't woken up in the morning and saw it. i was watching like all night, so i probably looked tired. but, uh, and then when you find out, you know, you know, some of the people on the plane, it's it's even a bigger blow. um. we just wish them well. and like the families, the courage and the strength to make the next steps. i don't know how you look at people go through tragedies and you

. >> also lost in the tragedy, their mothers, john and christine lane and figure skating coaches vadima, who were married, won the 1994 world championship as a pair and competed in two winter olympics. >> very nice. >> her son max just competed at nationals. >> his parents were his coaches as well as his parents. >> this has split parents from kids and vice versa. >> yeah, it's fractured the community. >> in an emotional press conference. leaders and alumni of the club trying to come to grips with the tragedy, whose impact will be felt far beyond the rink, including former olympic medalist nancy kerrigan. >> even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. it's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together. >> and for many at the skating club of boston, wednesday's crash bringing back painful memories. more than six decades after competitors from the same club died in a plane crash while traveling to the 1961 world championships. >> i want to thank sam brock for that report. next hour, we'll ask congresswoman sharice davids from kansas how the d.c. cras

massachusetts based skaters spencer lane and gina hahn and their mothers christine lane and tin hahn, as two coaches, former figure skating world champions evgenia shishkova and vadim naumov, and they were among an elite figure skating group and their families returning from a training camp that was held in conjunction with the u.s. figure skating championships that were in wichita, kansas. over the weekend. nbc news affiliate wrc just spoke with the ex-husband of one of the coaches who was on the plane. >> she was. >> one of the best. >> skaters i've ever seen. honestly, she was one of the best pair girls to skate. she she was. a russian all stars on ice. she toured with torvill and dean for years and years and. was one of the best, knowing that what the impact she made to all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul. and most of them are under 12. >> years old. >> there's three boys that i know that just like my. male skater. dealing with that, it's just. >> it's hard. enough seeing that. >> and then. >> the two girls from. >> northern virginia skating. >> club in fairfax, their.

han's mother, jin, and lane's mother, christine, were on also the plane, along with coaches vadim naumovenia shishkova. douglas lane lost his wife and his son. >> was just loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters to the people that are, you know, competing for a spot in the olympics, they all just adored him. >> reporter: their russian-born coaches naumov and shishkova were married. they won the pairs title at the world championship @in 1994 and competed in the winter olympics twice. their son, maxim, a competitive figure skater for the u.s., was not on the plane. >> they grew up in st. petersburg. they learned a very traditional russian style of skating and training. that is something they brought here. >> reporter: today, former olympic ice skater nancy kerrigan, an alumna of the skating club of boston, came to the training facility to lend her support. >> the main lesson i think i back up. keep on trying. and even when it's hard, you get back up. >> reporter: this is not the first time tragedy has struck this club. in 1961, the entire 18-member u.s. f

were on board the flight that crashed over dc last night alongside their parents, jin hahn and christine lane. incredibly sad news as we are learning more about some of the victims that were on that flight. we are anticipating a press briefing from the ntsb in the next hour or so. >> plenty more. >> news to come on this and other things. also on cnn news central. this is an unbearable mission now facing the teams trying to recover bodies from the scene of the disaster. we're going to find out more in just. >> moments. this part changed my life. >> superman. >> crazy. just that simple little thing. >> over the horse. >> chris wanted to. change the world. >> people are literally. >> walking because. >> of him. >> superman the christopher reeve story sunday at eight on cnn. >> hi, susan, honey. >> yeah. >> i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this. robitussin, honey. >> the real honey you love. >> plus the powerful cough relief you need. >> mind if i root through your trash? >> robitussin. >> the only brand with true source certified honey. >> tap into etsy. >> for original. >> a

and 16-year-old spencer lane, who was traveling with his mom christine. spencer was known for his jumps, chronicling his progress on tiktok. his final post on instagram, this view from his plane window before takeoff. >> skating is a very close and tight-knit community. it's a close, tight bond. and i think for all of us, we have lost family. >> reporter: also on board, skating coaches and former world champions genia shishkova and vadim naumov. the married couple leaves behind their son, max, a skater hoping to qualify for the winter olympics next year. brielle beyer was only 12 years old, her mom justyna magdalena with her on the plane. remembered today at her home rink in virgrginia. >> she was really talented and they were my inspiration. >> and tom joining me now. you spoke to that d.c. fire chief today. i'm curious, talk about the moment they got to the scene. >> he told me right when they came out here, lester, they had hoped they would find survivors but after several hours they were searching they found no survivors. they said the water was too d

skating club of boston, which said six members were on the flight, including young spencer lane and his mother, christine>> we just wish them well and the families, the courage and the strength to make the next steps. i don't know how you look at people go through tragedies and you wonder how they do it. i don't know, but somehow we have a reservoir to dig from. each one of them are strong enough to get through this somehow. reporter: doug is the club's ceo. >> skating is a very close and tight knit community. these kids and their parents, they are here at our facility in norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. it is a close, tight bond. i think for all of us, we have lost family. reporter: the ntsb says they will have a preliminary report in 30 days, but the final report won't come until the final conclusions are reached. they are still scouring the debris field at the bottom of the potomac for evidence to help in that investigation. of course, the key will be the flight data recorders, so-called black boxes from the helicopter and passenger jet. and officials say a priority now is recovering the rema

gina was known for her grace and musicality on the ice. 16 year old spencer lane, who was traveling with his mother, christinepost on instagram. the view from the plane window before takeoff. also on board skating coaches and former world champions zhenya shishkova and vadim naumov back in 1998. the two appeared alongside san francisco gold medalist brian boitano for the grand opening of the yerba buena skating rink in the city. itano says he just saw the couple when their 23 year old son, maxim, was a top four finisher. u.s. figure skating championships last week. maxim was one of the medalists, so i presented him with an award on sunday. and so, you know, it hits close to home. i have known his parents for years, and they are not only fantastic champions, not only grereat coaches, but just great people. they were great, amazing people. and they were nurturing and coaching the grassroots level of the young kids who are going to be champions of america tomorrow. boitano told us that he reached out to their son today to offer his support and his condolences. along with the heartbreak comes the politics of it a

is mourning the loss of 13-year-old jinna han and 16-year-old spencer lane, two up and coming skaters. han's mother jin and christineere also on the plane along with their children's coaches, vadi naumov and evgenia shishkova. >> loved by everyone from the people running the club to the smallest skaters to people competing for a shot at the olympics, they all adored him. >> reporter: their russian-born coaches shishkova and naumov were married. they won the title in 1994 and completed in the winter olympics twice. their son maxim, a competitive figure skater for the u.s., was not on the plane. >> they grew up in st. petersburg. they learned a very traditional russian style of skating and training. that is something they brought here. >> reporter: former olympic ice skater nancy carrigan, an suppo >> the main thing you learn in skating you get back up and keep trying. even when it's hard, you get back up. >> reporter: this is not the first time tragedy has struck this club. in 1961, the entire 18-member u.s. figure skating team was killed after their plane crashed as it was landing in brussels. the coach's son maxim

and 16 year old spencer lane, who was traveling with his mom, christine spencer, was known for his jumpshis progress on tiktok. his final post on instagram. this view from his plane window before takeoff. >> skating is a very close and tight knit community. it's a close, tight bond, and i think for all of us, we have lost family. >> also on board skating coaches and former world champions jenna shishkova and vadim naumov, the married couple leaves behind their son max, a skater hoping to qualify for the winter olympics next year. brielle beyer was only 12 years old. her mom, justina magdalena, with her on the plane, remembered today at her home rink in virginia. >> she's really, really talented and they were my inspiration. >> i am grateful to tom llamas for sharing those most important stories with you tonight. we'll be right back. >> to avoid. >> digital threats. >> just turn on nordvpn. >> improve your protection against trackers, malicious websites and malware ridden downloads. >> get the deal now. >> this one. >> goes better. >> with the walls. >> this is so. >> much easier. >> than

gina was known for her grace and musicality on the ice, and 16 year old spencer lane, who was traveling with his mom, christineogress on tiktok. >> his final. >> post on instagram. this view from his plane window before takeoff. >> skating is a very close. >> and tight knit community. >> it's a close, tight bond, and i think for all of us, we have lost family. >> also on. >> board skating coaches and former world champions jenna shishkova and vadim naumov, the married couple leaves behind their son max, a skater hoping to qualify for the winter olympics next year. brielle beyer was. >> only 12 years. >> old, her mom, justina magdalena. >> with her on the. >> plane, remembered today at her home rink in virginia. >> she's really, really talented and they were my inspiration. >> i am grateful to tom llamas for sharing those most important for sharing those most important stories with you ever feel like a spectator in your own life with chronic migraine? 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. in a survey, 91% of users wish they'd s

. >> reporter: spencer lane, killed along with his mom christine, was a 16-year-old figure skating phenomhis father doug says he was unstoppable. >> he was a force of nature. he just had amazing athletic abilities. just was someone who you couldn't make him do something, but if he was like, hey, that's interesting to me, you couldn't stop him. >> reporter: married boston club coaches and former champions, seen here competing in 1996. france calling their deaths a tremendous loss for the skating community. >> just one of a kind. they cared about their athletes and were world champions themselves, and they were just champions in life. >> reporter: now, removing victims from the wreckage is an incredibly delicate process. sources tell us they have ceased diving operations for now until they can lift entire parts of the fuselage to the surface of the river. george? >> george: okay, whit. thanks very much. let's bring our chief white house correspondent mary bruce. mary, as we saw, the ntsb not ready to make conclusion about how this happened. yesterday president trump did. >> reporter: he cer

also, spencer lane, who we're told was around 16 years of age, and his mom, christine, was on the flight. two coaches, renowned russian skaters vadim naumov and zhenya shishkova, who moved to the u.s. in 1998 and then started coaching at that boston club in 2017. they are, as i said, renowned skaters, former world champions. here's more from how the ice skating community is impacted. take a listen. >> we came here. >> because we. >> needed to be together. >> we're family. >> and it's a community. >> and this was a group that had been flying from, as you mentioned, wichita, kansas here after a national development camp. so we're talking about a lot of young rising stars in the ice skating community. on the heels of the national championships that happened over the weekend. and as we've been reporting throughout the day, the recovery efforts still a massive effort, still underway as they continue to try to pull the remains, the bodies, to pull them into a temporary morgue not far from here on a helipad to reunite them with their families. >> chris. >> emily, thank you for that. let's go to

gina was known for her grace and musicality on the ice, and 16 year old spencer lane, who was traveling with his mom, christineing his progress on tiktok. his final post on instagram. this view from his plane window before takeoff. >> skating is a. >> very close. >> and tight. >> knit community. >> it's a. >> close, tight bond, and i think for all of us, we have lost family. >> also on board skating coaches and former world champions jenna shishkova and vadim naumov, the married couple leaves behind their son max, a skater hoping to qualify for the winter olympics next year. brielle beyer was only 12 years old. her mom, justina magdalena, with her on the plane, remembered at her home rink in virginia. >> she's really, really talented and they were my inspiration as well. >> just heartbreaking. we heard a little bit earlier in the show from the father of spencer lane, the 16 year old skater who was inspired to get on the ice by nathan chen, the american olympic champion. and now he and his mother killed in that crash. tom llamas reporting there. the national transportation safety board has now recovered the two