American ice skater Anton Spiridonov refuted affirmations suggesting that he was on board the commercial jet which collided in the air with an army helicopter on Wednesday evening near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“The Russian media included me on a list of alleged people on Wichita flight in Washington DC,” said the skater on Instagram.
“I was not on this flight, thank you for everyone for my security. My heart goes to all the families affected by this tragedy.”
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Anton Spiridonov bowed after having patinated in the free dance competition of the championship during the American craft skating championships at SAP Center in San Jose, California, January 28, 2023. (Kyle Terada / USA TODAY SPORTS)
Spiridonov won the silver medal at the world’s university matches in 2023. He also finished sixth at the American championships the same year. Spiridonov also paid tribute to his father’s former “skating partner”, Inna Voryanskaya.
“Postyking Partner,” he wrote on an article in his Instagram history. “Rest in peace, Inna.”
Live updates: American Airlines Plane, Army Helicopter Collide outside the National Airport in Reagan near Washington DC
Flight 5342 transported 60 passengers and four crew members, according to a statement from American Airlines. The flight has taken off from an airport in Wichita, Kansas.
The authorities confirmed that there were three American soldiers aboard the Army Black Hawk helicopter when the plane left Davison’s army aerodrome in very Belvoir in Virginia. The aerodrome is located about 15 miles southwest of Reagan Washington National.
Emergency units respond to the site of an American Airlines aircraft accident and a Black Hawk helicopter on the Potomac river in Arlington, Virginia, Thursday, January 30, 2025. (Leigh Green for PK Press Club Digital)
The jet of passengers and the military helicopter both crushed in the Potomac river while the commercial plane approached one of the airport tracks. During a press conference Thursday morning, officials confirmed that 27 bodies of the plane and one of the Black Hawk helicopter had been removed from the icy waters.
American figure skating has published a statement confirming that “several members of our skating community” were on board the flight. The organization said she was going home from a development camp after the American craft skating championships in Wichita, Kansas, which concluded on Sunday.
