The American Airlines jet involved in a tragic crash in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night was carrying members of U.S. Figure Skating, including their coaches and family members. The incident occurred when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport and went down into the Potomac River shortly before 9 p.m. ET. There were sixty-four people on the commercial flight and three soldiers on the helicopter, with officials indicating that survivors are not expected.
U.S. Figure Skating issued a statement confirming that its team members were aboard the flight, returning from a National Development Camp held alongside the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, over the weekend. The camp showcases the “top performing juvenile, intermediate and novice athletes at the U.S. Sectional Finals.” They expressed profound grief, stating, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
While the identities of the passengers have not been fully disclosed, reports from the Kremlin confirmed that coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on the plane. This couple won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994 and had been training young skaters in the United States since 1998. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is also a competitive figure skater representing the U.S., according to ESPN. “There were other of our fellow citizens there. Bad news from Washington today,” commented Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday morning.
As it stands, the cause of the crash remains unclear. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available.
