Two of the youngest victims of the tragic American Airlines plane crash on January 29 were Angela Yang and Sean Kay, a talented ice dancing duo aged 11 and 12. The crash, which occurred when the plane collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Washington D.C., resulted in no survivors, marking one of the deadliest U.S. air disasters in over two decades. Yang and Kay, members of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, had just returned from the National Development Camp in Kansas and were on their way home. The pair had an undefeated season in juvenile ice dance, recently winning first place at the 2025 Midwestern Sectional and US Ice Dance competitions. Yang, inspired by her siblings’ love of ice hockey, had expressed excitement about her experience at the camp on social media just before the crash.

The flight also carried their coach, Alexandr “Sasha” Kirsanov, and other prominent figures in the skating community, including Boston skaters Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16, along with their mothers. This loss has deeply affected the ice skating world, as many victims had bright futures ahead of them in the sport.