News of the plane crash that claimed the lives of 67 people Wednesday night near Washington, D.C. hit close to home for Nancy Kerrigan. Kerrigan, the former U.S. figure skating champion, is an alumna of the Skating Club of Boston.

The tight-knit figure skating community was rocked when an American Airlines flight carrying athletes, parents and coaches from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River.

Dick Button, the first American to win Olympic gold in figure skating, has died at 95. A two-time champion and sport innovator, he transformed figure skating with groundbreaking jumps and later became its most influential commentator.

On Jan. 25, his position in U.S. skating history was formally recognized when Wilson was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Olympic Gold Medalist and Tennessean Scott Hamilton shared a message after learning that members of the figure skating community were on board American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a military helicopter on Wednesday night near Washington, D.C.

Dick Button, an Olympic champion figure skater who became one of the voices of the sport for decades, died Thursday at age 95 in North Salem, N.Y., his daughter told The Washington Post.

The tight-knit figure skating community was rocked Wednesday when an American Airlines flight carrying athletes, parents and coaches from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River.

As the first repeat Olympic champion to his groundbreaking work as a television analyst, Dick’s expertise and passion challenged generations of athletes to be better while building a fan base that remains today.