Ilia Malinin topped the Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships men's short program by the largest margin in history.

Just days after figure skaters, family and coaches from across the United States came together in Wichita, a tragic plane crash has left the U.S. Figure Skating community reeling.

World champion Ilia Malinin landed a record-tying six quadruple jumps to win his third consecutive U.S. figure skating title. Malinin, a 20-year-old from the D.C. area, landed a quad flip, quad Axel (a jump no other skater has ever landed), two quad Lutzes, quad toe loop and quad Salchow in Sunday’s free skate in Wichita, Kansas.

The plane that crashed near Washington, D.C., was carrying an unknown number of passengers from the figure skating community, including Russian husband-and-wife world champions. Wichita, Kansas, had hosted several high-profile skating events in recent days.

World champion Ilia Malinin leads by the largest margin in U.S. Figure Skating Championships history after the men’s short program, seeking a third consecutive national title.

World champion Ilia Malinin cruised to his third consecutive U.S. Figure Skating Championship on Sunday, landing six of his seven planned quad jumps in the free skate.

"I'm heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident," Malinin wrote on Instagram

Among those athletes competing in Wichita are former and hopefully future Olympians, many of whom are also defending national champions.

Several figure skaters, their coaches and family members had been on a flight to Washington after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

The tight-knit figure skating community was rocked Wednesday when an American Airlines flight carrying athletes, parents and coaches from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River.

Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers and two world champion coaches from Boston were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an American Airlines flight collided with an