by Daphne Backman | banner photo of Yang & by Robin Ritoss
Ice dance (and figure skating) is special. Throughout the past 25 years, my team and I have been privileged to photograph or interview many of the ice dancers at competitions like the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, Dallas Classic or Challenge Cup. We’ve watched new teams come together, welcomed kids and parents to the ice dance community and helped families navigate some of the nuances of their new figure skating world. We’ve watched children form friendships and adults find a camaraderie with others who understand the daily challenges. We’ve captured the joys of success or disappointment in quotes and photographs or given words of encouragement when needed. We’ve watched athletes say goodbye to the sport as they retire and move on to new adventures. All are cherished memories for us and our community.
Writing an article about this profound loss is challenging. It’s difficult to find the right words to accurately capture the joy of their lives. It seems impossible, yet it’s important to share these thoughts and to remember those we lost by sharing even a small piece of what made them special.
For Sasha, Sean, Julia, Angela, Lily, Alydia and those who perished in this crash…I will do my best to shine a light on the ice dance community members who were lost.
On January 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 took off from Wichita, Kansas carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The 60 passengers included 11 members of the U.S. National Development Team as well as four coaches and 13 family members. The skaters had been in Wichita for the high-performance development camp, an annual program for athletes at the juvenile, intermediate and novice level that was created in 2020 to encourage and foster the development of the next generation of skaters. National Development Team members qualified via placement at three sectional events (singles) or via the ice dance or pairs finals. In addition to training and other educational opportunities, participants attended the weekend’s senior competitive events.
National Development Team athletes / January 2025 Photo by Gina Capellazzi
It was impossible not to notice the electric energy emanating from the stands in section 119 as the kids supported each and every senior competitor. The connections built between the athletes were heartwarming, and it was obvious the friendships fostered through this experience would continue far beyond the few days at this camp. Our tabled media seating was located at the back of this section so we had a front row seat to witness the excitement that grew throughout that weekend. While the Nationals competitors and families headed home on Monday, the National Development Team athletes remained in Wichita for two additional days to work with experts and continue with on and off-ice training and performance improvement activities.
At approximately 8:48pm, flight 5342 collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. There were no survivors.
The DC area is central to a number of skating clubs and training centers. When learning about the crash, my brain went through a mental list of everyone from the Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland areas to consider who could be lost. Waiting to learn who was on the flight and confirmation of those who were passengers was heartbreaking.
From the 28 members of the figure skating family who perished in the crash, nine were from the ice dance community. Angela Yang & Sean Kay, the 11-year old juvenile champions from the 2025 U.S. Ice Dance Final had attended the camp along with their mothers Lily (Yang) and Julia (Kay) and coach Alexandr Kirsanov. Alydia Livingston, also 11, was invited to attend the camp with her new ice dance partner. Her sister Everly and parents Donna and Peter were also on the flight as was Everly’s singles coach Inna Volyanskaya.
This is not the first time the figure skating community has mourned such a tragic loss. Nearly 64 years ago, on February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548 crashed near Brussels, Belgium, while approaching to land. Tragically, all 72 people on board, including 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team who were on their way to the World Championships in Prague, died in the accident.
About the Victims
Sasha hugs his daughter Nicole at Chesapeake Open / June 2025 Photo by Melanie Heaney
Alexandr (Sasha) Kirsanov was a former competitive ice dancer who represented the United States, Azerbaijan and Russia. After retiring in 2004, he became a figure skating coach and choreographer based in the Newark, Delaware area. The first time I met Sasha was in Lake Placid at the Ice Dance Championships as he was part of the coaching team for one of the teams I knew. The last time I saw him was at the Ice Dance Final in Plano in November. I wanted to share this story.
In 2012, I was on my way to the U.S. Championships in San Jose, and my connecting flight was in Philadelphia. Due to weather the plane was delayed long enough that I missed my connection in Phoenix. Back then, I didn’t plan my travel as carefully as I do now, and this missed connection meant no chance of arriving in San Jose that evening and likely missing the Novice Pattern Dances that were scheduled to start at 10am the next morning. Sasha was also on my flight, and one of his teams was part of the same novice dance event meaning he would also miss it.
Unlike previous Nationals, I would be staying with my friend Robin Ritoss at her home. When I called to let her know of the predicament, she suggested I fly into San Francisco instead, and she would come to meet me. Once my flight was changed, I went to find Sasha, and he was able to book the same flight. Robin was happy to make an extra stop, and I was glad one of the teams wouldn’t be without one of their coaches. I share this story because back in July, while at the Dallas Classic, I talked with Sasha about this adventure, and we both had a great laugh about it. I’m glad I had that moment.
Sasha leaves behind a wife, Natalya Gudin, who also coached Angela and Sean but was not in Wichita, and a daughter, Nicole. Nicole is a talented solo dancer and a multi-time national medalist at the National Solo Dance Final.
Angela and Sean perform the Hickory Hoedown pattern dance in Lake Placid. / July 2024
This season was the first as a team for Angela Yang & Sean Kay, who represented the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club and both competed in solo dance. Although a new team, they placed first at every event including the Dallas Classic, Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships and the U.S. Ice Dance Final. It was wonderful to watch them continue to grow as a team through each competition. I remember Anne (Calder) messaging me during the Ice Dance Final to make sure I’d seen them playing with their stuffies in the kiss ‘n cry after the free dance. Juvenile is such a fun level to photograph because of the competitor energy and joy of skating.
I met and had a brief conversation with Julia (Sean’s mother) at the Dance Final. When she realized I was from ice-dance.com, she thanked me for all of the photos that we’ve posted of her kids. I learned later from another parent who was at the camp, that both Lily and Julia had one of Robin’s photos from Lake Placid as their phone background. That meant a lot.
In September, Angela finished second in the Juvenile Combined event at the 2024 National Solo Dance Final. Sean won the Novice Combined at the same event and his brother Skyler won Intermediate Combined.
Angela and Sean had so much potential as a team and in their solo careers. Their love of skating and passion for performance will be missed.
Angela’s mother Lily as well as Julia, Sean’s mother were also on the flight. Angela is survived by her father Jacob, sister Tiki and brother Miller. Tiki has set up a GoFundMe for the family. Sean is survived by his father Vitali, sister Samantha and two brothers. A GoFundMe to continue the skating journeys of Sean’s siblings has been created.
There will be a celebration of life for Sasha, Sean, Julia, Lily and Angela from 8 am until 12 pm on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the University of Delaware Fred Rust Ice Arena in Newark, DE. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made payable to the University of Delaware Skating Club and mailed to the Fred Rust Ice Arena, 549 S. College Avenue, Newark, DE, 19716.
Alydia Livingston & Matt Jacoby / January 2025
On January 20, singles skater and solo ice dancer Alydia Livingston (Washington Figure Skating Club) and Matthew Jacoby announced their ice dance partnership on Instagram. Matthew had competed in intermediate ice dance at the Ice Dance Final and was invited to attend the High Performance Development Camp with his new partner.
Alydia’s sister Everly, a singles skater, had also qualified to attend the camp via a fourth place finish in intermediate women at Eastern Sectionals. Alydia and Everly were known as the Ice Skating Sisters on Instagram and Youtube and had a growing social media presence sharing videos of their performances and adventures. Their father, Peter, had taught them to skate, and the family embraced the world of figure skating.
I spoke with Liz (Matthew’s mother) on the last day of the U.S. Championships. She shared that Alydia and Matt were excited to be at the camp and looking forward to the season. Things were going well. I was looking forward to seeing this new team debut at a summer competition at the start of the 2025-26 season.
Liz and Matthew took a flight back to Philadelphia earlier on Wednesday.
Including those mentioned above, a total of 28 members of the figure skating community were lost on January 29. The following singles skaters and coaches also perished:
Jinna Han (and mother Jin)
Spencer Lane (and mother Christine)
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov (coaches)
Brielle Beyer (and mother Justyna)
Cory Haynos (and parents Stephanie and Roger)
Olivia Eve Ter (and mother Olesya)
Franco Aparicio (and father Luciano)
Eddie Zhou (and parents Yu Zhou and Kaiyan Mao)
Inna Volyanskaya (coach)
If you are interested in contributing to support the families left behind in this tragedy, U.S. Figure Skating has created the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund to assist those directly impacted.
On February 5, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Entertainment Gang and U.S. Figure Skating announced they will host a live figure skating tribute to be held at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington D.C. on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Legacy on Ice will honor the 67 lives lost and raise funds to support victims’ families and the first responders and aviation professionals who worked tirelessly in the aftermath of the tragedy. All proceeds will be collected by the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation and equally distributed to the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund, Greater Washington Community Foundation’s “DCA Together Relief Fund” and DC Fire & EMS Foundation. The event will be co-hosted by 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano and will include Ilia Malinin (three-time U.S. Champion and 2024 World Champion), Amber Glenn (two-time U.S. Champion and 2024 Grand Prix Final Champion), Madison Chock & Evan Bates (six-time U.S. Champions and two-time World Champions) and more.
It is my hope that the sense of connection in our ice dance community brings comfort to everyone as we move forward while grieving this loss. Though they are no longer with us, their impact remains — in every memory and every act of kindness inspired by their lives. We carry them forward in our hearts, ensuring that their legacy continues to shape our community for the future.
Photo Gallery: Ice Dance Community Members Lost on Flight 5342
Photos by Daphne Backman, Melanie Heaney and Robin Ritoss
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