Local superstar Ilia Malinin and other figure skaters will convene in D.C. next month to pay tribute to the victims of last week’s airplane and helicopter crash near Reagan National Airport.
Set for Sunday, March 2, at Capital One Arena, the “Legacy on Ice” benefit will raise funds to support the families and loved ones of the 67 people killed in the Jan. 29 crash, while serving as a showcase for the American figure skating community, which lost 28 members.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the “DCA Together Relief Fund” set up by the Capital Area Community Foundations as well as a U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund and the D.C. Fire & EMS Foundation, U.S. Figure Skating and Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns Capital One Arena, announced yesterday (Wednesday).
“As we begin to heal from this devastating loss, we look forward to honoring the enduring memories of these athletes, coaches and family members who represented the best of the figure skating community,” U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Samuel Auxier said. “We can think of no better way of celebrating their legacies than through the sport they loved.”
In addition to Malinin, who lives in Vienna and trains at Reston’s SkateQuest, the event will feature Olympic and world-champion figure skaters like Johnny Weir, Kristi Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski. Members of D.C.-area skating clubs and the Skating Club of Boston, which lost athletes and coaches in the crash, will participate as well.
The tribute will extend beyond the figure skating community to also include D.C.’s major professional sports teams, including the Nationals, Wizards, Capitals, Commanders, Mystics and Spirits. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday (Feb. 10) through Ticketmaster.
“We are fortunate to have a platform to honor the 67 people we lost and remember the extraordinary impact they made during their lives,” Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO and chairman Ted Leonsis said. “By raising funds to support their families, we hope to provide a small amount of comfort during this terrible time.”
Many of the country’s top figure skaters were in Wichita, Kansas, in late January for the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where Malinin won his third consecutive national title. The tournament was followed by a development camp for the younger athletes.
According to U.S. Figure Skating, the 60 passengers of American Airlines Flight 5342 — which collided with a U.S. Army helicopter on a training flight from Fort Belvoir shortly before 9 p.m. — included eight individuals affiliated with the Skating Club of Northern Virginia, which is based at the Fairfax Ice Arena, and seven people from the Washington Figure Skating Club in Ashburn.
The Skating Club of Northern Virginia’s losses included Annandale resident Cory Haynos and Fairfax’s Edward Zhou, both of them just 16 years old. Their parents also died in the plane crash.
Vienna resident Franco Aparicio and his father Luciano were among the Washington Figure Skating Club members killed in the crash. Haynos, Zhou and Aparicio were all students at Fairfax County Public Schools.
The remains of all 67 crash victims, including four American Airlines crew members and the three soldiers on the Blackhawk helicopter, have now been recovered from the Potomac River, officials announced yesterday (Tuesday). Crews are still working to retrieve all of the wreckage, and an investigation into the crash by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) remains underway.
A candlelight vigil for the victims organized by Rep. Don Beyer and Arlington Democrats was held yesterday at Rivergate City Park in Alexandria.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized the crash victims at its meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 4) with a moment of silence. Chairman Jeff McKay also asked the county government to help promote relief efforts and continue providing support to both the families and first responders who were involved in the crash response.
“This is going to be with us here in Fairfax County and with our region for a long time, and we all need to stay committed to helping both the families and victims, but also our first responders through what is a very difficult time,” McKay said.
