Mansfield figure skater Jinna Han, 13, was one of the people killed in a plane crash Wednesday night close to Ronald Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C
Jinna Han was going with Jin, her mother, and other Boston Skating Club members. The Skating Club of Boston’s CEO and executive director, Doug Zeghibe, said that the team was returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, which took place last week.
Who is Jinna Han, Mansfield figure skater who died in American Airlines Eagles Flight 5342 Washington DC plane crash along with her mom Jin Han
“It’s a close, tight bond, and I think for all of us, we have lost family,” Zeghibe said.
“Never a discouraging word,” he said. “Always appreciative, always supportive of not just Jinna, her daughter, but every athlete. Just role model parents in your sport, and you don’t always get that.”
A committed figure skater, Jinna Han received her training at the renowned Skating Club of Boston, a facility for elite skaters. From January 20 to January 26, 2025, she participated in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Yesterday we lost so many bright talents, among them thirteen year old Jinna Han. Every testimony about Jinna regards her as a selfless, positive, and extremely hard working person. Jinna would’ve turned junior next season and we honour her and her immense talent today 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/PbUTyo2Ivt
— jr skaters archive (@jrskating) January 30, 2025
She was selected for the National Development Camp following the competition, which is a program meant to get young skaters ready for contests at a higher level. Jinna worked on honing her abilities and performance at the club’s Norwood, Massachusetts, facility on a daily basis.
Han was described by Zeghibe as “a wonderful kid” with “wonderful parents.” According to him, the Han family joined the club in 2020.
Jinna had been attending a high performance camp in Wichita for some of the most promising skaters.
“Our star skater,” said Olga Ganicheva, who, along with her husband Aleksey Letov, were both Jinna’s coaches. “Her nickname was ‘Jinna Starina,’ like a star, that’s how we call her, ‘Jinna Starina.'”
Ganicheva worked with Jinna for the last four years, sometimes up to 10 hours a day, six or seven days a week and said Jinna excelled at both the athletic and artistic components of the sport.
“The way she feels, the way she skates, the way she performs, the way she jumps, everything,” said Ganicheva. “Very special kid.”
Age 13 figure skater Jinna Han, a rising star who was considered the next big thing in US figure skating had earlier expressed her excitement about watching the 2022 Winter Olympics in an interview with NBC Boston.
Jin Han was her mother but her father’s identity has not been disclosed. Jinna and her mother, who lived in Mansfield, Massachusetts, were among the six members of the Skating Club of Boston who died in the crash, The Hans, another teenage skater and his mother and a pair of beloved Russian coaches were remembered with love and sorrow on Thursday.
R.I.P. — Jinna Han ID'ed as victim in D.C. plane crash
She was only 13-years-old. 💔 pic.twitter.com/v8SvYNMbqi
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 31, 2025
Jinna Han’s death
Jinna Han and her mother were among the victims of a tragic plane disaster on January 29, 2025. They were returning from the National Development Camp with other figure skating community members on an American Airlines aircraft from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C.
Over the Potomac River, close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the aircraft struck a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in midair. Fourteen members of the figure skating community were among the 67 persons who tragically died when the plane crashed and plunged into the river.
My daughter London and Jinna Han both upcoming figure skaters. My daughter London is grieving the loss of her friend Jinna in yesterday’s plane crash. We are completely devastated! pic.twitter.com/vOCp1qk45z
— Tashema Lindsey (@IamTashema) January 30, 2025