On a winter day in 1961, a catastrophic plane crash in Belgium claimed the lives of the entire U.S. figure skating team, casting a shadow over the world of sports. As the nation mourned the loss of the 18 athletes, coaches, officials, family members and other passengers and crew, the incident left a lasting impact on the skating community. 

Background and the Crash

Just weeks before the crash, the U.S. figure skating team roster was finalized at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs. On February 14, 1961, the team departed from Idlewild Airport (now JFK) in New York on Sabena Flight 548, a Boeing 707 headed to Prague for the World Championships, with a layover in Brussels.

Passengers included coach and nine-time American champion and Olympic bronze medalist Maribel Vinson-Owen, 49, and her 16-year-old daughter, U.S. national champion Laurence Owen, featured on that week’s cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “America’s most exciting girl skater.” Also among the team on board were her older sister, Maribel Jr., 20, and Dudley Richards, 29, the national pairs champions; U.S. men’s champion Bradley Lord, 21; 1961 U.S. silver medalists Gregory Kelley, 16, and Stephanie Westerfeld, 17; and U.S. ice dancing champions Diane Sherbloom, 18, and Larry Pierce, 24.