Fifteen members of the U.S. national figure skating team were among 64 passengers aboard an American Airlines flight that collided midair with a military helicopter late Wednesday night before crashing into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
According to the Kremlin, former Russian figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board. The pair, who won the world championship in pairs skating in 1994, retired in 1998 and later moved to the United States to coach skaters. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a member of Team USA’s men’s singles skating division and was reportedly among the passengers.
The crash in Washington
(Video: X)
A search-and-rescue operation is underway in the Potomac, with divers scouring the river for survivors. CBS News reported that at least 18 bodies have been recovered so far.
The flight was en route to Washington from Wichita, Kansas. The head of the U.S. Figure Skating Association confirmed that athletes, coaches and family members were returning from a training camp held alongside the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
“We are devastated by this unimaginable tragedy,” the association said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The U.S. military confirmed that one of its helicopters was involved in the crash. A Pentagon official told CNN that three service members were aboard the aircraft, but their conditions remain unknown. The official added that no senior military officers were on board and that the helicopter was conducting a routine training flight.
All departures and arrivals at Reagan National Airport have been halted as authorities investigate the accident.
The crash marks one of the deadliest aviation accidents involving a commercial U.S. airline in recent years. The last major passenger airline disaster occurred in 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed in New York, killing 49 people on board and one person on the ground.