Figure Skating Event Benefitting Victims Of Dc Plane Crash To Take Place In Washington In March

A figure skating tribute will take place in Washington, D.C., in early March to support victims of the midair collision and crash outside Ronald Reagan International Airport.

Organizers on Wednesday announced the "Legacy on Ice" benefit event scheduled for March 2 at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, home of the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Washington Capitals. Twenty-eight members of the figure skating community were among the 67 people killed when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 29.

"This is a platform to be able to let people emote," Monumental Sports Entertainment chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said on a video call with reporters. "This has struck so many different people around Washington, D.C., in a very, very emotional way. We really want to make a platform for the entire extended community to come together."

Figure skating was so prominently connected to the tragedy because many aboard had just been to a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. Monumental, U.S. Figure Skating, DC Fire EMS Foundation and the Greater Washington Community Foundation are putting on the tribute.

"We're just very grateful to executive producer Michael Burg and Ted and everyone at Monumental to get this off the ground," U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Samuel Auxier said. "It certainly focuses our entire skating community on the recovery process, and this will be a real highlight of getting this moving forward."