Doug Lane, the father of late figure skater Spencer Lane, gave a heartbreaking speech on Thursday when discussing the death of his wife and adopted son.
Spencer Lane and his adopted mother Christine were among those who died when their airplane crashed into a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night. They were among 16 members of the figure skating community who were aboard American Airlines flight 5342, which was heading from Wichita, Kansas to Washington D.C. All 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the flight died, as did all three military members who were on the helicopter.
An emotional Doug Lane spoke about Spencer and told the story of the young boy. Spencer had seen Nathan Chen compete in the Olympics three years ago and decided he wanted to pursue the sport.
NEW: Father of DC crash victim pays tribute to his son, says he was a "force of nature" who took up figure skating just a few years ago.
Spencer Lane shared a final photo from inside the plane on his Instagram story shortly before he passed.
"3 years later, he's in Wichita,… pic.twitter.com/OFgXzIfrSY
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 30, 2025
“[He] was really a force of nature. About three years ago, saw Nathan Chen in the Olympics and said, ‘hey, I can do that.’ … he was just like a phenom and just loved it,” Doug Lane said.
Despite getting a late start and not being pushed to compete, Spencer was driven to be the best and quickly became a top figure skater.
Spencer Lane was one of two teenage figure skaters who were among the 14 members of the U.S. Figure Skating team who were on the flight and died. The figure skaters were returning from the National Development Camp, which took place after the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Doug Lane also talked about his late wife Christine, whom he called “a beautiful, creative person.”
