D.C. Plane Crash: Former skater remembers 1961 crash that killed U.S. team | FOX 2 Detroit

D.C. Plane Crash: Former skater remembers 1961 crash that killed U.S. team

A heartbreaking and shocking time for many across the country after a plane crashed into a helicopter above the Potomac River near Washington D.C.

What we know:

The passengers on the American Airlines flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches, and family members. The group was returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

Local perspective:

Corinne Martin started figure skating when she was just 2 years old, and after four years, she faced death and true grief for the first time when she learned her coach and Olympic figure skating peers were killed in a plane crash in 1961 when heading to the World Championships.

"The night before the training, the Olympic team was to head for the Olympics in Europe. We skated at the Detroit skating club. I skated to 'Que Sera.' My mother made the costume, and of course, it was thrilling for her," she said.

Then an exciting night turned tragic. Corinne’s coach and the U.S. Figure Skating Team were among 72 passengers killed on their way to Prague.

"My parents had to tell me that my coach had been killed in a plane crash along with all of the young people that we knew who trained for the Olympics," she said.

She says through the years, the loss made her more competitive, stronger with the will to survive and compete.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday, she was again met with heartbreaking memories after learning about the crash in D.C. The horrific crash triggered those memories of grief and loss.

"It just brought me to tears because it just— words can’t describe it," she said. "Such a haunting thing that this has happened twice to the United States Figure Skating Team in 64 years."

What's next:

She still remains hopeful as she listens for more details coming out of D.C.

"Any tragic loss of life is always sad, and it always brings people together, and I think that this will once again bring the figure skating community together," she said.

She believes the figure skating community will be okay.

The former figure skating pro is now an executive director at Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society.

The Source: FOX 2 talked with Corinne Martin and sourced information from previous stories.

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