U.S. Figure Skating is confirming several members of its skating community are among the victims of the Washington D.C. plane crash. One local figure skater said she knows firsthand just how much these individuals meant to the sport.

Two Russian figure skating coaches with strong Connecticut ties were among those killed after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River Wednesday night.

"Several members" of the U.S. figure skating community were on American Airlines Flight 5342, according to U.S. Figure Skating.

A pair of young figure skaters, their mothers, and two Russian coaches were among the 60 passengers on board the jet.

The Skating Club of Boston lost two coaches, two young skaters and their two mothers in the deadly crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington, D.C.

The European figure skating championships have carried on, even as the skating world mourned athletes who died when an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

Sam Lilley, a young fiancé awaiting his fall wedding, was piloting the American Airlines flight that was minutes away from a safe landing when a collision with an Army helicopter plunged both aircrafts and everyone on board into Virginia’s Potomac River.

Those involved with the University of Delaware’s High Performance Figure Skating Center have celebrated many triumphs, including in the U.S. Nationals and Olympics. On Thursday they endured the opposite extreme,

As of Thursday night, 14 of those killed have been linked to the skating community, including members from clubs in the Washington area, Boston and Philadelphia. The Figure Skating Club of Omaha said the tragedy marks a horrific day for every family involved and the sport as a whole.

The figure skaters who died in Wednesday’s plane crash are mourned not just because they were young and talented but because, to anyone associated with the sport, they are part of the family.

U.S. Figure Skating is confirming several members of its skating community are among the victims of the Washington D.C. plane crash. One local figure skater said she knows firsthand just how much these individuals meant to the sport.