Teen Cory Haynos landed a triple axel, just before dying in plane crash with his parents
Up-and-coming intermediate figure skater Cory Haynos, 16, and his parents Stephanie and Roger Haynos, were among those killed when their American Airlines flight from Wichita crashed into a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 29, plunging into the Potomac River.
The Haynos family lived in Fairfax, Virginia.
Cory Haynos identified himself on social media as “figure skater/basketball.” His Instagram profile also included a reference to Bible verse John 3:36, which states that those who believe in Jesus have eternal life.
Cory Haynos qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating training camp in Wichita after placing third in his division at a sectional competition in Norwood, Massachusetts, in November.
A figure skating social media site called The Skating Lesson described Cory as “a powerful skater who dreamed of making it to Nationals as a competitor.”
“Cory was an amazing skater with a very bright future with the US Skating Team,” Roger Haynos’ cousin Matthew LaRaviere wrote in a tribute shared on social media Thursday night. “...We all were expecting Cory to represent our country in the US Olympics in the future.”
Like several of the young victims and their families, Cory Haynos was a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia. He was coached by former Swedish national medalists Kalle Strid and Mikael Olaffson.
“I lost my 3 little kids in that flight and their families,” Strid wrote on social media Thursday. “I am not strong enough to talk to anyone today.”
Stephanie Haynos served on the board of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia. Friends and family remember Stephanie and Roger as extremely devoted parents and ardent supporters of Cory’s budding skating career.
“Roger has always inspired me by his absolute love for his family and dedication to providing only the best for his wife and kids,” LaRaviere wrote Thursday. “...Recently in a conversation with Roger, he was excited about his son’s future and seemed honored that my wife and I were planning to travel north to see Cory perform.”
Strid and Olaffson also coached Brielle Beyer and Edward Zhou, who died in the crash along with Brielle’s mother Justyna, Edward’s mother Kaiyan Mao and Edward’s father Joe Zhou.
Together, Strid and Olaffson’s students formed the Nova Vikings, a close-knit skating team which practiced in northern Virginia.
Authorities said Thursday that the plane crash left no survivors. Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the flight from Wichita, while the military helicopter was carrying three soldiers.
Cory became a U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist in 2023 by passing his gold skating skills test, a distinction that generally takes at least six years of intense training to earn.
On the last day of the training camp in Wichita, he sucessfully executed a triple axel, a notoriously tricky jump that he first landed in December, the New York Times reported.
Cory, Roger and Stephanie are survived by Cory’s sister Emily, according to relatives. A student at The Ohio State University, Emily was also a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia from 2015 to 2023 and has taught at the Columbus Figure Skating Club, according to social media.
The Star’s Chris Higgins contributed reporting.
This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 11:43 AM.
