Olympic Champion Peggy Fleming on ‘Heartbreaking’ Similarities Between D.C. Midair Collision and 1961 Crash (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

U.S. Olympic Figure Skating gold medalist Peggy Fleming attends the New York premiere Of “RISE” at Best Buy Theater on February 17, 2011 in New York City.Photo:D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

Peggy Fleming, a 1968 Olympic champion in figure skating, is opening up about the “heartbreaking” similarities between theWashington D.C. plane crashand the 1961 plane crash at the beginning of her career.

Fleming, 76, is one of many who attended theLegacy on Iceevent at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. on Sunday, March 2, honoring the members of the figure skating community who were killed when an American Airlines plane and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

The former Olympian tells PEOPLE that she is familiar with the feelings that she and others are experiencing after the devastating collision, having gone through a similar situation decades prior.

Eighteen members of the U.S. figure skating community died when their plane went down as they traveled to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in the Czech Republic, according toNPR NewsandCBS News.

Fleming says she was just 12 years old and about to start her skating career when the 1961 crash occurred. “Now it’s happening again. It’s unreal, and it’s so heartbreaking,” the retired skater says.

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.Andrew Harnik/Getty

Andrew Harnik/Getty

Fleming recently toldTodaythat she lost her coach in the 1961 crash, which “really affected” her. “But we rose up,” she told the outlet.

U.S. Figure Skatingsaid 28 members of the community died in the January crash, which killed 67 people in total.

Eleven of the victims were young skaters from five different clubs, according to a tribute video shared tothe U.S. Figure Skating Instagram pageon Monday, Feb. 3.

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Fleming tells PEOPLE she wouldn’t have missed theLegacy On Iceevent “for anything.”

“To watch this show tonight, this audience got the best show ever,” she says, adding, “It has to make the skaters feel loved and supported. This was a very strong show.”

Legacy on Icewill air on NBC on March 30 at 1 p.m. ET.

source: people.com