Figure Skater Spencer Lane, 16, Posted Photo of Doomed Plane Just Hours Before Crash

Getty and Instagram (Spencer Lane)

Spencer Lane

Teen figure skater Spencer Lane, 16, who was on the doomed plane that crashed in the Potomac River, posted a photo to his Instagram story that showed the doomed plane’s wing.

“ICT—DCA,” the caption on the photo, posted just hours before the crash, reads. ICT is the code for the Wichita, Kansas, airport. DCA is the code for Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport, where the plane was trying to land in Washington D.C. from Wichita when it collided with a Blackhawk military helicopter.

Also hours before the crash, he posted a photo with other figure skaters and wrote, “nationals + ndc!! i am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in november, it has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that i can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people!”

Lane was one of multiple U.S. and former Russian figure skaters, coaches, and parents who were on the plane

U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement, according to USA Today,“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”

According to USA Today, authorities do not believe that there are any survivors.

Spencer Lane Wrote That He Was ‘Blown Away’ by His Successes on the Ice in 2024

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Lane was active on Instagram. In November, he posted, “When I started this season, I had what seemed like a very ambitious goal of making Top 4 at Sectionals and I am so happy and blown away to end my first competitive season at the top of the Eastern Sectionals podium! I achieved a new personal best in both the short and the free skate with a combined score of 117.04 (45.55 + 71.49)!”

He posted a video showing him doing a triple axel.

On December 31, he wrote, along with a video showing him skating, “Last skate of the year, super thrilled to see what comes next! ”

Fans have posted tributes to Lane on his comment thread. “RIP Spencer, you were so dedicated and full of hope,” wrote one person.

Spencer Lane Was ‘Rocketing to the Top of the Sport,’ His Club’s CEO Said

GettyEmergency response units search the crash site of an American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after an accident last night while on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025.

According to CBS News, the Skating Club of Boston suffered a number of losses in the plane crash, losing “two coaches, two young skaters and their mothers” in the plane crash.

The Skating Club of Boston named the victims on its Facebook page.

Doug Zeghibe, CEO and Executive Director of The Skating Club of Boston, wrote in a statement on Facebook, “Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy. Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family. Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.”

He added, “These athletes, coaches and parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp, following last week’s U.S. Championships in Wichita. This camp is for young competitive skaters of tomorrow with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow. The Club sent 18 athletes to compete at the U.S. Championships. It sent 12 athletes to the National Development Camp.”

Zeghibe “identified the skaters as 16-year-olds Spencer Lane and Jinna Han. Lane’s mother Christine Lane and Han’s mother Jin Han were also on the plane. The coaches were Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova,” reported CBS News.

“Six is a horrific number for us. But we’re fortunate and grateful it wasn’t more than six. This will have long, reaching impacts for our skating community,” Zeghibe said, according to CBS.

He added that Lane was “rocketing to the top of the sport,” CBS News reported. CBS reported that Lake and the others had attended “a prestigious training camp.”