Who were Angela Yang and Sean Kay? Netizens mourn youth ice skating duo who were among the DC plane crash victims

Up-and-coming ice skating partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay and their coach, Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov, passed away in the recent Washington DC plane crash.

According to the New York Post report, Angela Yang and Sean Kay were part of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club. Last week, the two 11-year-olds went to Wichita to attend the National Development Camp, where young promising ice skaters received training.

On January 29, 2025, the American Airlines flight collided with an army helicopter mid-air. As per The New York Times, nobody survived, and in total, 67 people passed away in the accident.

An X user (@CollinRugg) posted the clip of Angela Yang and Sean Kay's last performance.

Netizens flooded the reply section with condolences and prayers for the victims' souls. One netizen (@nicksortor) pointed out that many flight passengers were children returning from the skating camp.

"From everything I heard, it sounds like there was an abnormally large number of children on board this flight. Makes it that much more devastating," a netizen wrote.

"OMG the horror!!! I bet their last moments were filled with fear. May God have mercy on their and all the victims' souls," another wrote.

"Let’s take a minute to celebrate their talent. Two elite young athletes on their way to becoming global superstars of their sport. So utterly heartbreaking. May God welcome them into his Kingdom and rest their souls," another user wrote.

"Horrific. I honestly had a hard time sleeping last night. We live in a world that is like the insides of a complicated Swiss watch. It’s imperative we are absolutely fanatical about functional excellence," a user wrote.

Some netizens remarked why an army helicopter was near a civilian airport and that the accident showed incompetence.

"There was only one air traffic controller on duty. The truth comes out. I’m sickened," they wrote.

"What a tragedy…Helicopter stays in the way of the airplane for almost a minute!!! Wtf?? What kind of ignorance, incompetency is this? What the heck is the army helicopter doing above a civilian airport? Nobody’s watching them? Wtf!!?? Rip kids…," another wrote.

---

Angela Yang and Sean Kay's coach Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov's wife react to the crash

Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov, who was a former ice skater and coach, represented the United States, Azerbaijan, and Russia. According to Delaware Online, his wife, Natalia Gudin, stated that she always accompanied Kirsanov and the kids for competitions.

"We always use American Airlines when we go to competition. This time, they go without me, and all of them are gone. This young team – Sean Kay and Angela Yang – they were so amazing. All the judges were so proud and they had such a big future," she said.

Natalia Gudin also coached kids. According to ABC News, she said that the plane crash took everything from her.

"I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends," she said.

---

Angela Yang is survived by her father and two siblings. Sean Kay is survived by his father and three siblings. Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov is survived by his wife, Natalia, and daughter Nicole Kirsanov.