{"id":20071,"date":"2025-02-01T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T12:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=20071"},"modified":"2025-02-01T12:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T12:00:02","slug":"members-of-u-s-figure-skating-team-were-onboard-crashed-u-s-aircraft-near-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=20071","title":{"rendered":"Members of U.S. Figure Skating Team Were Onboard Crashed U.S. Aircraft Near Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A couple who are skating trainers and former world champions of the sport were among those aboard the US plane that crashed near Washington.<\/p>\n

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US Figure Skating has confirmed in a statement that members of their community were onboard the American Airlines 5342 flight, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. The plane was en route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter.<\/p>\n

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A view of the American Airlines plane in the water after it collided in midair with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on January 30, 2025 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The helicopter, carrying three military members, and the plane, with 60 passengers and four crew members, collided midair before crashing into\u00a0the Potomac River<\/a>\u00a0on the night of Wednesday, January 29.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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US Figure Skating stated that the athletes, coaches, and family members on board\u00a0had been traveling home<\/a> from the National Development Camp, which took place alongside the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Press members work near the scene area after a regional plane collided in midair with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on January 30, 2025 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The governing body also shared that Russian-born\u00a0ice skating coaches<\/a>\u00a0and former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were traveling with the group of young skaters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The married pair had reportedly lived in the US since at least 1998, dedicating their time to training young ice skaters. They achieved global recognition when they won the pairs figure skating world championship in 1994.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia perform their pairs free skating routine during the World Figure Skating Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, on March 8, 1995 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ludmila Velikova, the coach who played a key role in shaping Shishkova and Naumov\u2019s skating careers from a young age, told the media that\u00a014 skaters and trainers<\/a>\u00a0were among those on the flight. Velikova, who was speaking in St Petersburg, expressed relief that\u00a0the couple’s son<\/a>, Maxim, who had competed in Kansas, was not on the same flight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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US Figure Skating is now in mourning. They\u00a0concluded<\/a>\u00a0in their statement, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims\u2019 families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia in action in the pairs free program at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics on February 15, 1994 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Officials have not disclosed specific numbers of skaters or released the names of those who were aboard the plane. However, the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, featured athletes competing in singles, pairs, and ice dance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This year’s competition included all\u00a0four 2024 US champions<\/a>. These are Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, and the duo of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Andrew Torgashev, Ilia Malinin, Camden Pulkinen, and Maxim Naumov pose after the medal ceremony for the Championship Men during the 2025 Prevagen US Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, on January 26, 2025 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On the other hand, sports analyst Christine Brennan has highlighted the significance of the National Development Camp in developing young skaters. She noted that many participants aboard the plane were seen as\u00a0future contenders<\/a>\u00a0for major competitions, including the 2030 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the participants, Spencer Lane was thrilled to have earned a spot at the National Development Camp, a goal he had pursued since first learning about the program. To celebrate, he shared a collage\u00a0of photos and a video<\/a> on Instagram, posing alongside fellow camp participants and expressing his excitement about the experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Unfortunately, what he most desired has now turned into a tragedy. Just hours before the crash, Lane posted an eerie image on\u00a0his Instagram story<\/a>, seemingly taken from inside the ill-fated flight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The photo, captured through the aircraft’s window, showed the plane’s wing before it took off. A caption on the image indicated he was en route from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Spencer Lane’s snap captures the wing of the plane that crashed, posted on his Instagram story on January 29, 2025 | Source: Instagram\/spence.rlane\/<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Authorities have yet to confirm the total number of casualties from the mid-air collision between the airliner and military helicopter but have suggested that the likelihood of\u00a0survival is low<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly has shared that so far, twenty-seven bodies have been recovered from the passenger jet, and one from the military helicopter. Donnelly added that at the moment, search efforts have now transitioned to a recovery operation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A view of the scene after a regional plane collided in midair with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River, on January 30, 2025 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Via posts shared on Truth Social, President Donald Trump has also addressed the plane crash. Vice President (VP) JD Vance also weighed in after the FAA disclosed what happened.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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President Donald Trump taking a question from a reporter during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2025. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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According to a statement shared on X by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was approaching Runway 33 at the airport when it collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter in mid-air. “PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines,”\u00a0adds<\/a>\u00a0the FAA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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