A heartbroken figure skater who flew home a day earlier than her friends has paid an emotional tribute to her "baby skating sister" following the tragic American Airlines crash. Audrey Shin paid tribute to 13-year-old Jinna Han who died following the devastating mid-air collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and Flight 5342 over the Potomac River in Washington DC. Audrey had competed with her friends at the National Development Camp during the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita last week but decided to come home just a few day earlier than some of her fellow skaters.
She heartbreakingly revealed she knew there were at least five other skaters booked for the return flight to Washington DC and frantically began making calls to them. However, as the calls went unanswered, the Long Islander soon feared the worst. It wasn't until the Skating Club of Boston revealed the names of its members onboard the American Airlines flight that she knew the tragic outcome. “I have no words. It’s been an extremely difficult morning. Praying for everyone that was involved in this crash,” Shin wrote on her Instagram story.
The passengers included 13-year-old Jinna Han, who she described as her "my little baby skating sister", and her mum Jin. “Jinna, my little baby skating sister… I don’t believe it. So heartbroken right now,” she said. “She was on the flight with her mom coming back from the skating camp,” Shin told the outlet. “I just feel like it’s a dream right now, like a really bad nightmare.”.
Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, paid tribute to Jina, he said: “We watched Jinna 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.”. Spencer Lane, who was also killed in the crash, took part in his first professional show in December with Elin Schran’s company, Joy Skate Productions. “He started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift,” Schran said. In a statement, the Lane family recalled Christine Lane for both her singular talents and her dedication to parenting.
“Christine exuded creativity throughout her life, using her formal graphic design training as a jumping-off point for seemingly endless creative pursuits across areas such as photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo,” the family said. Their coaches, Shishkova and Naumov, won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships in Chiba, Japan. The Russia-born pair also competed twice in the Olympics.
