Adam WellsJanuary 30, 2025
Annice Lyn – International Skating Union/Getty Images
A group of figure skaters from the United States and Russia were among the passengers onboard an airplane that was involved in a midair collision near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.
U.S. Figure Skating, the American governing body for the sport, issued a statement about the situation (h/t Jin Yu Young and Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times).
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the statement said.
U.S. Figure Skating @USFigureSkatingU.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C. These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National…
Dmitri S. Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, confirmed that Russian skaters and other citizens from the country were onboard.
A total of 14 members of the skating community were among those who died in the crash. International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim announced Friday that all of the victims will be honored at the World Figure Skating Championships taking place at TD Garden in Boston from March 25-30.
Per CNN.com, a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration said a passenger aircraft collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C. around 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said during a press conference they “don’t believe there are any survivors” and the operation has switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation (h/t CNN).
The U.S. Figure Skating statement said the skaters were returning from a training camp for juvenile, intermediate and novice skaters following the national figure skating championships that were held last weekend in Wichita, Kansas.
