The American and Russian artistic skaters were aboard an American Airlines flight which collided with an army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC on Wednesday evening.
The American figure skating said that athletes, coaches and family members returned home from a camp held in Wichita, Kansas.
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The bodies are on the ground next to emergency vehicles, near the accident site after the American Eagle 5342 flight collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac river, outside Washington, DC, January 30, 2025. (Carlos Barria / Reuters)
“American figure skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were unfortunately aboard the American Airlines Flight 5342 flight, which collided with a helicopter last night in Washington, DC,” said the organization. “These athletes, coaches and family members returned home to the national development camp which was held in collaboration with the American craft skating championships in Wichita, Kansas
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the families of the victims closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and publish more information as it will be available.”
Live updates: the military helicopter collided with planes near Reagan National Airport
The Russian artistic skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won a title of pairs at the 1994 World Championships and participated twice in the Winter Olympic Games, aboard the plane, said the plane on Thursday , Dmitry Peskov.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is confirmed. There were other citizens’ colleagues there. Today, from Washington.”, He said.
The international skating union said that it was “deeply shocked” by the incident.
Emergency vehicles are on stage at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday evening January 29, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Wolf / AP)
“Our thoughts are with all the people affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport – it is a very united family – and we hold together,” said the organization.
