A report alleged a figure skater named Spencer Lane was among multiple figure skaters and their coaches suspected to be in the American Airlines flight that crashed on Wednesday, January 29, 2024. The report stemmed from an Instagram story circulating on X. The story was purportedly posted by Spencer Lane from the American Airlines flight that took off from Wichita, Kansas, before colliding near DC's Reagan Airport.
As the posts went viral online, several netizens expressed concern for Spencer Lane’s well-being, stating no one had heard from the figure skater since the plane took off from Wichita. A concerned social media user said:
"He has not been heard from since. Keep him and his family in your prayers."
Reacting to the post a netizen wrote:
"So sad breaks my heart."
“This is a tragedy,” another user wrote.
“Absolutely devastating. My heart goes out to Spencer Lane, his family, and everyone impacted by this tragedy,” an X user noted.
Spencer Lane was part of the National Development Team, a training program for top juvenile figure skaters. According to his Instagram account with over 3000 followers, Lane did post a story from inside a flight capturing take off with the caption:
“ICT → DCA”
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An Instagram post shared 13 hours ago from Wichita, Kansas, confirmed Lane was participating in the U.S. figure skating championship. Lane participated in the U.S. figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas from January 20 to January 26.
The post included an image of young skaters participating in the championship, with the caption:
“Nationals + ndc!! I am so happy to have qualified for the national development camp earlier in November, it has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people!.”
Spencer Lane began his career as a professional figure skater in 2022
According to a profile on Golden Skate, Lane, who was representing Boston in the Figure skating competition, only got involved in the sport in January 2022. He has amassed over 14,000 followers on TikTok where he often posts videos of figure skating. The Golden Skate praised his commitment and talent for the sport, saying:
“I´m not sure I ever have heard about a skater who went from doing barely a single axle to triples in 2 years. When I discovered him he was just doing his first triple toe loop and hadn't even been skating for 2 years. All the way he has been posting his progress.”
The Wichita Eagle confirmed several coaches and young skaters with the United States figure skating team were on the flight when the American Airlines flight crashed Wednesday night, according to the U.S. Figure Skating.
A massive search operation is underway after the flight carrying 64 people, including crew members, collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter before crashing into the Potomac River.
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