More than a dozen members of the figure skating community are presumed dead after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter crashed Wednesday night in D.C. "We have lost family," said Doug Zeghibe,

At least 14 members of the US Figure Skating team were on the American Airlines flight that collided mid-air with a military helicopter over Washington, DC, Wednesday night, according to a report.

The Skating Club of Boston, which lost six community members in the D.C. plane crash, suffered a similar tragedy in 1961.

For the next eight decades, the utilitarian barn on the banks of the Charles River was one of the centers of American figure skating, training Button and fellow Olympic champion Tenley Albright, Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie and scores of U.S. champions.

After the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, some young athletes stayed a couple of additional days for further development.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Central North Carolina has a close knit figure skating community that was rocked by a horrific tragedy on Wednesday. A Triangle figure skating coach told ABC11 that Thursday has been a day of grieving.

The Skating Club of Boston lost two coaches, two young skaters and their two mothers in the deadly crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington, D.C.

Two of those coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

Former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the flight from Wichita, which hosted last week’s U.S.championships.

Shishkova and Naumov, who are listed as coaches at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, competed twice in the Olympics.

Amber Glenn, a 25-year-old from Plano who defended her U.S. figure skating championship last week in Wichita, was also among the community within the sport devastated by the news. “I’m in complete shock. I’m sorry I don’t even know what to say,” Glenn posted to Instagram on Thursday morning.

Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri opened their bid for a third consecutive European title by leading the ice dance rhythm dance at the European figure skating championships on Friday. Former winner Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia is leading the women's singles competition going into Friday's free skate final.