News and Politics • Figure skaters among passengers feared dead in Washington plane crash

Six members of a figure skating club, including two teenagers and two Russian former World Champions, are believed to be among the victims of the plane crash in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.

Athletes, coaches and family members were on their way home from a National Development Camp, an event which followed the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, when their plane collided with a US Army helicopter.

Two of the teenagers onboard have been named as Spencer Lane, 16, and Jinna Han.

They were both members of the the Skating Club of Boston and were travelling with their mothers.

Their Russian coaches, married couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov who won the 1994 World Championships in pairs figure skating, have also been confirmed as dead by the Kremlin.

Inna Volyanskaya, a bronze medalist in pairs skating at the 1980 USSR Championships, was also among the passengers.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed their condolences, saying in a statement: "Bad news has come from Washington today. We are sorry. We offer our condolences to loved ones who lost our fellow citizens who died in this air crash."

He added that there were currently "no plans on contact at the highest level" on the matter between the US and Russia.

The passenger plane was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport to land when it crashed into a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training flight. Both planes landed in the nearby Potomac River.

In a press conference on Thursday, emergency responders confirmed they are carrying out a recovery rather than rescue operation.

DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said there are believed to be 'no survivors' from the crash.

'Our hearts are shattered': Trump says no survivors in Washington DC air crash

The US Figure Skating Championships were being held in Wichita from January 20 to January 26.️

US Figure Skating said in a statement: "US 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.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."

The international governing body for figure skating said the global skating community was "deeply shocked" and heartbroken to learn that figure skaters and those close to them were onboard.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport - it's a close-knit family - and we stand together," the International Skating Union said in a statement.

Statistics: Posted by EnterpriseSovereign — 2025-01-30 01:33pm