Barrington mother and son were aboard plane that crashed over DC

BARRINGTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Two of the victims of the tragic plane crash in Washington DC on Jan. 29 were from Barrington: a promising young skater and his mother.

Members of the community said they would remember Spencer Lane for his talents on the rink and his infectious personality.

Spencer was well known in Barrington for his prowess as a figure skater and presence on social media.

The crash between a plane and a U.S. Army helicopter above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is presumed to be the deadliest in American aviation since 2001.

16-year-old Spencer and his mother Christine both died in the crash, when they were on their way back from a skating competition in Kansas.

Doug Lane mourned the loss of his wife and son while speaking highly of Spencer’s talent as a figure skater.

“The best way I can describe him is he was a force of nature,” he said. “He just had amazing athletic abilities.”

Doug and Christine adopted Spencer and his brother Milo from Korea.

“It was a different journey to motherhood but one that she really embraced and loved and we both kind of embraced Korean culture,” he added.

Spencer had more than 20 thousand followers on TikTok with many offering condolences on his latest post.

Barrington Public Schools Superintendent Robert Wargo said Spencer was a student at Barrington High School through late 2023 before transitioning out to pursue a career in figure skating.

Wargo said in a statement that “Spencer was a talented and driven young athlete with a bright future, and this is an unimaginable loss.”

“We will remember Spencer for his compassion, dedication, and tenacity, and we will honor the memory of both Christine and Spencer by spreading kindness, positivity, and unity in our district,” he added.

Doug Lane released the following statement on behalf of his family:

“Our family is devastated by the loss of Christine and Spencer. Christine exuded creativity throughout her life, using her formal graphic design training as a jumping-off point for seemingly endless creative pursuits across areas such as photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo. She was also a lover of animals, and we lost track of how many dogs she helped place in loving adoptive homes.

Spencer can only be described as a force of nature. You simply could not stop him if he decided he wanted to do something. There is no better example of this than his remarkable skating journey, which we are heartbroken to see end too soon. He truly loved it, and his ascent from basic Learn to Skate classes to U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Team in just a few short years was unprecedented. We are so grateful that his last week was filled with joy and surrounded by his beloved Skating Club of Boston and the U.S. Figure Skating family.

We are also hurting so much from the loss of Spencer’s talented and kind coaches, Genia and Vadim, and all of the wonderful friends Christine and Spencer were sharing their journey with.”