The day Sabena Flight 548 wiped out America’s Olympic figure skating team

Sabena Flight 548’s Devastation and the Broadmoor’s Revival

February 15, 1961 changed American figure skating forever. Just two weeks after the U.S. Championships at Colorado’s Broadmoor World Arena, Sabena Flight 548 crashed near Brussels.

All 72 people died, including the entire U.S. team. Eight skaters from the Broadmoor Skating Club were lost, along with coaches and officials.

The crash wiped out a generation of talent. Yet from this tragedy, the Broadmoor built back.

They brought in Italian coach Carlo Fassi and soon trained a young Peggy Fleming, who won gold in 1968.

The skate-shaped memorial bench still stands by Cheyenne Lake, where visitors can trace the remarkable story of loss and rebirth.

Skaters Made History at First Televised Championships

The 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place at the Broadmoor World Arena from January 25-29. CBS Sports showed the competition nationwide, making it the first figure skating event on national TV.

New champions won in all categories after stars like Carol Heiss and David Jenkins left following the 1960 Olympics.

Eight Broadmoor Skating Club members joined the World Team, including coach Edi Scholdan and young skaters Stephanie Westerfeld and Gregory Kelley.

Organizers honored USFSA President Howard D. Herbert, who died days before the event started.

Team Members Said Goodbye on Valentine’s Day

On February 14, 1961, the U.S. World Team boarded Sabena Flight 548 at New York’s Idlewild Airport, heading to the World Championships in Prague.

The American group included 18 skaters, 6 coaches, 4 officials, and 6 family members, making up almost half of the plane’s 72 passengers.

Team manager Dean McMinn took photos of the skaters on the aircraft steps, capturing their last public moment.

Three generations of skating stars traveled together: nine-time U.S. champion Maribel Vinson Owen and her daughters Maribel Jr. and 16-year-old Laurence Owen, the new U.S. ladies champion.

Overnight Flight Showed No Signs of Trouble

Captain Ludovic Lambrechts flew Sabena Flight 548 along its normal trans-Atlantic route without any mechanical problems.

The Boeing 707 carried 61 passengers and 11 crew members on what seemed like a routine overnight trip.

Radio contact stayed clear for most of the journey, with air traffic control noting only minor communication issues about 20 minutes before landing.

Skaters and their families talked about competition plans as they flew toward Europe. Clear skies and bright sunshine greeted the plane as it neared Brussels for its planned fuel stop.

Last Minutes in the Air Turned Chaotic

Around 10:05 AM on February 15, 1961, Flight 548 started its final approach to Brussels’ Zaventem Airport under clear blue skies.

A smaller plane hadn’t yet cleared the runway, forcing Captain Lambrechts to circle around for another try. Air traffic controllers lost radio contact with the Boeing 707 during its second landing attempt.

The aircraft circled for a third try but ran into unexplained technical problems. Emergency crews at Brussels Airport rushed toward the runway as controllers flashed warning signals.

Plane Fell from the Sky Just Short of Safety

During its third landing attempt, Flight 548 suddenly lost speed and height, with its nose dropping into a deadly spiral.

The Boeing 707 crashed into flat endive fields just one mile from the airport runway and burst into flames. All 72 people on the plane died instantly, along with one person on the ground.

Local resident Mariette Peeters heard a “muffled” sound from her kitchen as she watched the silver and blue aircraft’s final moments.

Belgian police quickly blocked off the crash area while rescue workers and investigators hurried to the smoking wreckage.

Phone Calls Woke Americans with Heartbreaking News

Word of the crash reached the United States in the early morning, with phone calls waking skating families and officials across the country.

Thirteen-year-old Christy Krall in Colorado Springs heard her father ask in shock, “What do you mean they’re all gone? ” during a 4 AM call.

Doris Fleming in Pasadena told her 12-year-old daughter Peggy the terrible news as she got ready for school.

Front-page headlines carried the story nationwide as President John F. Kennedy released a statement: “Our country has lost much talent and grace. ” The International Skating Union quickly canceled the 1961 World Championships in Prague.

Broadmoor Club Lost More Members Than Any Other

The Broadmoor Skating Club suffered the biggest blow, losing eight members including head coach Edi Scholdan and his 13-year-old son Jimmy.

Sisters Stephanie (17) and Sharon Westerfeld (25) died in the crash, with Stephanie having won silver at the recent U.S. Championships.

Pairs team Gregory Kelley (16) and his sister Nathalie (29), plus pairs partners Laurie Hickox (15) and William Hickox (19) completed the Broadmoor’s losses.

Coach Scholdan, known as “the clown prince of Broadmoor” for juggling during ice shows, had trained more world team members than any coach of his time.

Granite Bench Marks the Spot Where Skaters Once Rested

Three years after the crash, on February 15, 1964, the Broadmoor placed a skate-shaped granite memorial bench with victims’ names carved into it.

Workers put the bench beside the lake where Edi Scholdan and his skaters often took breaks between practice sessions. The Broadmoor Ice Palace got a new name, the World Arena, to honor the lost team members.

Within days of the tragedy, the U.S. Figure Skating Executive Committee created the 1961 Memorial Fund to help promising young skaters.

A benefit show at Boston Garden in March 1961 raised money for the fund, which later gave over $20 million to thousands of athletes.

Italian Champion Arrived to Fill Coaching Void

Broadmoor president Thayer Tutt searched worldwide for a top coach to replace Edi Scholdan.

He found Carlo Fassi, an Italian skating champion with World bronze and European gold medals, and brought him from overseas to rebuild the American program.

Fassi came with his wife Christa, a former German skating champion, creating a husband-wife coaching team at the Colorado Springs facility.

The stylish Fassi, who wore suits and ties to practice, brought European technical knowledge to American skating.

British coach John Nicks also joined the rebuilding effort, stepping in for the late William Kipp who had coached young Peggy Fleming.

Young Peggy Moved to Colorado for World-Class Training

Twelve-year-old Peggy Fleming, whose coach William Kipp died in the crash, moved to Colorado Springs in 1965 to train with Carlo Fassi.

The Memorial Fund helped pay for Fleming’s skates and training costs, as her newspaper journalist father struggled to afford skating expenses.

Fleming’s graceful, musical style under Fassi’s guidance marked a shift from the more athletic approach common in American skating.

She won her first U.S. championship in 1964 and grabbed five national titles in a row while helping rebuild America’s standing in world skating.

Gold Medal in France Completed America’s Comeback

At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, Peggy Fleming skated almost perfectly to win America’s only gold medal of those Games.

Her chartreuse costume and graceful style showed that American figure skating had fully returned to the top seven years after the tragedy.

Many saw Fleming’s victory as the symbolic rebirth of American skating and a tribute to the 1961 victims.

The Broadmoor World Arena had once again become a top training center for world-class skaters under Fassi’s coaching.

Fleming’s triumph meant more than personal success—it capped a national rebuilding effort that honored the memory of those lost in Brussels.

Visiting Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado

You can visit The Broadmoor at 1 Lake Avenue in Colorado Springs to see the memorial for the 1961 figure skating tragedy.

The resort grounds are open to the public for free, and you’ll find the memorial bench by the lake near where the old World Arena used to be.

The memorial was put up in 1964 and updated in 2018 by Peggy Fleming. The World Figure Skating Museum at 20 First Street has more exhibits about this history.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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