American and Russian figure skaters were among the 60 passengers and four crew members onboard a passenger plane that crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday night after colliding with a military Blackhawk helicopter—a crash authorities have said they believe nobody survived in.
Evgenia Shishkova And Vadim Naumo of Russia perform a pairs free skating routine.
In a statement to news outlets, U.S. Figure Skating—the official governing body for figure skating in the country—said “several members” of its community were on the plane.
The statement added, “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the national development camp held in conjunction with the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas.”
At least three figure skaters from Russia, including a former world champion pairs skating duo were also onboard the aircraft, the Russian state-run TASS News agency reported.
When asked to comment about the reports of the Russian skaters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “This sad information is confirmed…our other compatriots were also there…bad news from Washington today.”
In a post on X, Luke Wang, the U.S. junior figure skating national champion for 2023–24, wrote, “Praying for all those on the flight from Wichita to D.C. Among the passengers were skaters and coaches. Absolutely heartbreaking.”
Overnight reports say first responders have managed to recover more than a dozen bodies from the river and, in a press conference Thursday morning, Washington’s Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said rescue personnel “don’t believe there are any survivors.”
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U.S. Figure Skating did not release details about the identities of the skaters, coaches and family members on board the plane. It also did not mention how many of the 60 passengers were members of the skating contingent.
Russian state media reports identified 1994 figure skating pairs world champion duo Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov as two of the passengers on board the plane.
Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, a married couple, moved from Russia to the U.S. in 1998 to train as young ice skaters. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a former U.S. junior national figure skating champion. Both Shishkova and Naumov are listed as ‘pairs coaches’ on the Skating Club of Boston’s website.
“The International Skating Union (ISU) and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. last night,” the organization said in a statement. “We are heartbroken to learn that Figure Skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board.”
A passenger plane operated by PSA Airlines—a regional carrier owned by American Airlines—plunged into the Potomac River on Wednesday after an Army helicopter collided with it as the plane was landing at the Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. The Blackhawk helicopter, which had three military personnel onboard, also crashed into the river. The aircraft involved in the crash was a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet flying from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National. Details about the number of casualties have not been announced, but Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said: “The focus now is rescuing people, and that’s what all of our personnel are focused on.” However, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who spoke at a press conference alongside Bowser, indicated that there may be several fatalities. “When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow,” he said, without offering additional details.