Jinna Han, 13-Year-Old Ice Skater Killed in D.C. Plane Crash, Dazzles in Recently Surfaced Competition Footage
American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
There were 14 U.S. figure skaters onboard the passenger plane, according to The Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe, including Jinna Han.
PEOPLE spoke with members of the skating community who knew the 13-year-old victim.
Jinna Han is being remembered for her bright light on and off the ice.
The 13-year-old figure skater was one of 64 passengers killed in the tragic Wednesday, Jan. 29 midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers onboard, per CNN.
Jinna has been a member of The Skating Club of Boston since 2020, CEO Doug Zeghibe said in a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 30.
She was identified as one of the 14 U.S. figure skaters onboard the passenger plane. In addition to Jinna, five other victims were members of The Skating Club of Boston, including her mom, Jin Han; teen Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane; and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were 1994 world figure skating champions representing Russia.
A clip of Jinna performing her free skate at the 2025 Eastern Sectionals, her last major competition, has since resurfaced.
Initially posted on YouTube in November, the video shows the teenager smiling from ear to ear as she competes in a sparkly pink dress while performing many tricks, including six triple jumps.
She placed fourth in the free skate and fourth overall, earning a berth to the National High-Performance Development Team that followed the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
PEOPLE spoke with Team USA Skaters who knew Jinna at The Skating Club of Boston on Thursday.
'Jinna has an amazing smile. Every time you would say her name, she would immediately give you a smile and [say hello] in her high voice,' Misha Mitrofanov, 27, told PEOPLE.
Related: Mom of 2 Among Victims of American Airlines Plane Crash, Remembered for Her 'Unwavering Spirit' and 'Radiant Soul'
When asked about Jinna and Spencer's skating abilities, Jimmy Ma, 29, said: "They are absolutely phenomenal. At 13 years old, I couldn't do anything even close [to Han's level]."
Olympian Mirai Nagasu also shared with PEOPLE that Jinna was one of the victims she knew.
"This loss feels especially personal because of my connection to some of the families," she said. "Jinna [Han] was an incredibly talented skater who regularly interacted with my son, Taiga."
Fellow Olympian Nancy Kerrigan, whose home club is The Skating Club of Boston, told PEOPLE that the situation was "heart-wrenching."
"Everybody who died is somebody's somebody," she said.
Related: What We Know So Far About the Deadly D.C. Plane Crash Involving an American Airlines Jet and Army Chopper
In a statement to PEOPLE, U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that "several members" of their community were onboard the aircraft.
"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the statement said.
Other community members included Inna Volyanskaya, 59, a former pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union, according to Reuters, citing Russian news agency TASS, Volyanskaya was a coach for the team, per the Washington Figure Skating Club's website.
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Sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston are also among the victims who were skaters.
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