Father of figure skater who was killed in American Airlines crash speaks out in heartbreaking tribute to son

Spencer Lane's father has paid tribute to the figure skater in the wake of his untimely death.

Spencer was one of the 60 passengers onboard an American Airlines plane traveling from Kansas to Washington on Wednesday evening (January 29), when the aircraft collided with a US army helicopter.

Both the plane and helicopter then crashed into the Potomac River, and all those involved are sadly presumed dead.

There were a total of 67 people; 60 passengers, four cabin crew members, and three soldiers.

An American Airlines plane crashed into a river after colliding with a helicopter (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Spencer shared a heartbreaking post to social media before boarding his flight to Washington — which was carrying several other members of the figure skating community, former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov included.

He uploaded a photo to Instagram around 7pm on the tragic day, which the 16-year-old captioned 'ICT -> DCA', which are the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

In light of officials saying that there were no survivors of Wednesday's crash – the US's first major commercial airline crash since 2009 – Spencer's father, Douglas Lane, has paid tribute to his presumed dead son.

His wife, Christine Lane, was also on the plane.

Speaking to WPRI, Douglas said of his eldest son: "Whether he was in his home club in Boston, [Spencer] was just loved by everyone.

"From adults running the club to smaller skaters, to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics, they all adored him."

Douglas further penned in a statement to the news outlet: "Spencer can only be described as a force of nature. You simply could not stop him if he decided he wanted to do something.

"There is no better example of this than his remarkable skating journey, which we are heartbroken to see end too soon. He truly loved it, and his ascent from basic Learn to Skate classes to U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Team in just a few short years was unprecedented.

"We are so grateful that his last week was filled with joy and surrounded by his beloved Skating Club of Boston and the U.S. Figure Skating family."

Spencer was an up-and-coming figure skating star (spence.rlane/Instagram)

Speaking about his late wife Christine as well, Douglas said she 'exuded creativity throughout her life'.

"She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo," the grieving husband and father went on.

"She was also a lover of animals, and we lost track of how many dogs she helped place in loving adoptive homes."

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].