It has been confirmed that two of the youngest people who died in the tragic airplane crash in Washington, D.C., were a promising young ice skating pair. These young ice dancers, Angela Yang and Sean Kay, were on the plane returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and a training program called the National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas. They were traveling with their coach, according to information from the Delaware News Journal. Sadly, Angela and Sean, along with their coach, Alexandr Kirsanov, and his wife, all lost their lives in the crash.
Angela and Sean were part of The University of Delaware Figure Skating Club. The club mentioned in a social media post on January 21st that Angela, Sean, and another pair, Zoe Stone and Jerry Stone, were headed to Wichita for the training camp, while another skater, Emmanuel Savary, was competing in the Championships.
Just hours before the plane crash, Angela had shared several photos of her time in Wichita. She wrote, “I had so much fun at camp! I’m really going to miss my friends and all the great coaches! I can’t wait for next year!” She also mentioned enjoying watching the other skaters at the competition, saying, “It was a lot of fun watching all the skaters at Kansas! I had a lot of fun sitting with my friends watching amazing skaters! I wish I could watch it all over again!”
In November, Angela and Sean had achieved great success, winning first place in several categories at a competition called the 2025 Midwestern Sectional Singles & U.S. Ice Dance in Plano, Texas. Angela even posted on Instagram about her excitement, saying, “I am so happy with our results at our first finals together!” alongside a picture of her wearing a beautiful pink sequined dress while they performed.
U.S. Figure Skating, the main organization for figure skating in the United States, confirmed that many skaters, coaches, and their family members were on board the plane, returning home from the National Development Camp, which is held at the same time as the national championships. The organization said they were heartbroken by the terrible tragedy and were supporting the families of the victims. They also stated that they will continue to gather information and share updates as they become available.
