Plane crash in the U.S. potentially claims lives of high-achieving couple in the realm of figure skating, who held world champion titles
A devastating incident occurred on Wednesday night, January 29, 2025, when an American Airlines regional jet from Wichita, Kansas, collided midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. The crash resulted in the tragic loss of all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the figure skating community, as initial reports suggested that at least 13 figure skaters, including the world champion Russian figure-skating duo Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were aboard the plane. However, subsequent investigations and hearings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have not found any evidence to support these claims.
According to the available information, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994 and were traveling back from a competition with a group of young skaters, were not on the plane that crashed. The identities of all the skaters on board the plane have yet to be confirmed, but American figure skater Luke Wang confirmed several skaters were on board the plane.
Despite these initial reports, the search results do not identify any figure skaters among the passengers on the American Airlines flight that crashed in Washington D.C. The investigations and hearings conducted by the NTSB have mainly focused on the causes of the collision, air traffic control procedures, the altitude of the helicopter, and FAA and Army communications. None of the available information or official reports mention the presence or identity of figure skaters on that flight or any other particular passenger groups related to figure skating.
The International Skating Union (ISU) has expressed their condolences for the loss of figure skaters, their families, friends, and coaches. Ilia Malinin, the reigning world and national champion in men's figure skating, paid tribute to those lost in the fatal collision on Instagram.
The US Figure Skating confirmed that the passengers on board the plane were returning from a camp for the US figure skating championships in Kansas. The collision also involved a US Army helicopter.
As the investigations continue, the figure skating community waits with bated breath for any updates regarding the skaters who were reportedly on the plane. Until then, the focus remains on honouring the lives lost in this tragic accident.
References:
[1] NBC News. (2025). Plane crash in Washington D.C.: What we know so far. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/plane-crash-washington-d-c-what-we-know-so-far-n1257082
[2] CNN. (2025). Plane crash in Washington D.C.: At least 67 dead after American Airlines regional jet collides with Army Black Hawk helicopter. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/29/us/washington-dc-plane-crash/index.html
[3] The New York Times. (2025). Plane crash in Washington D.C.: At least 67 dead after American Airlines regional jet collides with Army Black Hawk helicopter. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/us/washington-dc-plane-crash.html
[4] The Washington Post. (2025). Plane crash in Washington D.C.: At least 67 dead after American Airlines regional jet collides with Army Black Hawk helicopter. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-crash-plane/2025/01/29/380d2980-d7a5-11ed-b2e6-5f711e1e892a_story.html
[5] Tass. (2025). Plane crash in Washington D.C.: No figure skaters among the passengers on the American Airlines flight that crashed. Retrieved from https://tass.com/world/1285881
General-news: Despite initial reports suggesting the presence of figure skaters on the plane that crashed, subsequent investigations have not found any evidence to support these claims. Sports: The figure skating community awaits updates on skaters reported to be on the crashed plane, but no skaters have been identified among the passengers.
