Two Russian figure skating coaches with strong Connecticut ties were among those killed after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River Wednesday night.

The married couple, won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994, had reportedly lived in the US since at least 1998.

Sam Lilley, a young fiancé awaiting his fall wedding, was piloting the American Airlines flight that was minutes away from a safe landing when a collision with an Army helicopter plunged both aircrafts and everyone on board into Virginia’s Potomac River.

U.S. Figure Skating said a number of its skaters, their coaches and family members were on board the flight returning home from a training camp in Wichita, Kan. + The Skating Club of Boston has confir

A pair of World Champion Russian figure skaters were aboard an American Airlines flight returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, according to published reports.

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 pilot and first officer on the American Airlines plane that crashed into a military helicopter Wednesday night—killing all 64 people on board—have been identified by a colleague and family member as victims alongside American and Russian figure skaters,

The two Russian figure skating coaches killed in the American Airlines crash were two-time Olympians and former world champions in the pairs event.

Nancy Kerrigan mourned skaters, coaches, parents who are presumed to be dead after an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter collided.

During a press conference on Thursday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the crash was "absolutely" preventable.

As it advances more than a half-dozen major redevelopment projects, East Hartford is ready for a year of demolition and initial construction to bring hundreds of new apartments as well more