Former Soviet figure skater Inna Volyanskaya, 59, perished in the tragedy which stunned the world on Wednesday (January 29).
A string of skaters, coaches and their loved ones were travelling on the passenger jet, which was bound for the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
But the 60 passengers and four crew never made it to their destination, as the plane collided with a military helicopter and plunged into the Potomac River.
After news of the tragedy broke, US Figure Skating announced that a number of athletes and coaches were onboard the American Airlines flight while returning home from the National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.
In a statement, the US governing body for the sport said: “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
It has since been confirmed that sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, aged 14 and 11, and their parents Peter and Donna Livingston were among the victims.
The young girls were also reportedly accompanied by their coach Inna Volyanskaya, a famed figure skater from the Soviet Union.
Disney On Ice star Inna Volyanskaya seen performing as Ariel (Instagram/@volyanskayainna)
Virginia Congressman Suhas Subramanyam confirmed that the athlete, who tutored young skaters at the Washington Figure Skating Club, was among the dead in a statement shared on X.
“It’s confirmed that none of the 67 people in last night’s crash survived, including members of our community like Inna Volanskaya, an ice skating coach in Ashburn,” he said.
The world-renowned performer starred in Disney On Ice as Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Belle and Ariel, according to her coaching biography.
She competed as a pairs skater for the Soviet Union in the 1980s before bagging the lead role in Tatiana Tarasova’s ice theatre troupe, known as the ‘Russian All-Stars’, and skated in shows around the globe.
Specialising in jump technique, choreography, moves in the field, spins, off-ice conditioning, and stroking, Volanskaya then began her coaching career in 2002.
Her former husband Ross Lansel described her as ‘one of the best skaters he’s ever seen’ while paying tribute to her.
“She was one of the best pair girls to skate,” he told News4. “Just knowing the impact she made to all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul.
The figure skater pictured with Everly and another student in Kansas (Instagram/@innasskaters)
“I wish all those kids that she taught, just my condolences and I wish them – all my prayers go out to them. I wish them the best of life and everything because I know it’s going to be so hard without her.
“It’s tough because as a figure skating coach, you mean a lot to these kids and you’re like the individual person for them.”
Hockey coach Serguei Kouznetsov also shared his condolences, telling FOX 13 he knew Volyanskaya as a fellow Soviet Union immigrant.
“Very good people, very driven, focused on the particular task of figure skating, and completely dedicated,” he said of the late skater. “(She was at the) rink all day. Nothing else mattered.”
In her final Instagram post, Volanskaya heaped praise on her students who she had been in Kansas with.
Sharing a series of smiley snaps, she wrote: “Congratulations on Everly and Franco for making it to the national development camp for their second year!
“So proud of all their hard work and training they have done to get here. What an amazing way to start off the year!”
The recovery operation in the Potomac River is still ongoing.
