The tragic incident involving the American Airlines plane colliding with a Black Hawk helicopter over Washington had some former Russian world champion figure skaters among its passengers.
Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, won the World Figure Skating Championship in pairs in 1994.
The married couple were travelling back to DC on Flight 5342 after having attended a skating championship held in Wichita.
Maxim Naumov, their 23-year-old son who is a prominent skater representing Team USA, was fortunately not on the ill-fated flight. He had recently participated in the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
It has been confirmed by US figure skating authorities that a number of skaters, coaches, and their family members were on the flight. They were all returning home after attending the National Development Camp, which coincided with the national championships.
‘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 sport governing body said in a statement.
American figure skater John Maravilla, as reported by RIA Novosti, said: ‘I don’t want to name names, but there were around 14 figure skaters on the plane, not counting their parents and several coaches.’
The regional passenger jet and the US Army helicopter crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision as the plane approached Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.
American Airlines confirmed there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board.
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov are reported to have been on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter
The couple’s 23-year-old son Maxim, a figure skater for Team USA, took part in the US Championships in Wichita in recent days
Surveillance footage taken from inside the airport also captured the moment the two collided in midair
Emergency response units assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were born in Leningrad and competed in pairs skating for the national teams of the USSR and Russia, winning the World Championship in 1994.
They moved to the US in 1998 and worked as coaches.
The couple were reported to have been returning from the competition and travelling with a group of young skaters.
Maxim, who placed fourth at the competition in Wichita, reportedly left Kansas with US figure skater Anton Spiridonov on Monday.
‘I wasn’t on the flight. People I knew, I think, were,’ Spiridonov said. ‘Maxim Naumov was not on board – he left Wichita on Monday.
‘He was at the airport with me, going through security at the same time.’
Their son Maxim Naumov, 23, a prominent Team USA skater, was not on the plane, despite having competed at the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas. He is pictured with his parents – who are also his coaches
Shishkova and Naumov, who were married, won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994
Maxim Naumov performs during the men’s free skate competition at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Wichita, Kansas
However, Maxim’s parents were on board, Spiridonov said.
Skating fans have posted heartfelt tributes to on Maxim’s social media accounts today.
Maxim, whose parents were his coaches, once said: ‘I want to thank my parents and my sister who opened the door [to figure skating].’
Russia’s Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters, many of them the children of Russian emigres to the United States, who it said were believed to have been on the plane.
Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also reported to have been on board, TASS said. She was a coach at the Washington figure skating club, according to its website.
There were no currently active Russian figure skaters on board Flight 5342, Olga Yermolina, spokeswoman for the country’s figure skating federation, told Zvezda.
Andrew Torgashev, Ilia Malinin, Camden Pulkinen, and Maxim Naumov pose after the medal ceremony for the Championship Men during the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena on January 26, 2025 in Wichita, Kansas
Russian pairs figure skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova perform during the Pairs Short Program during the World Figure Skating Championships in Edmonton, Canada in 1996
Russian figure skaters and coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the American Airlines plane that crashed in DC. They are pictured with their son Maxim
‘We have to wait for the official lists,’ Yermolina said.
‘These are people with other passports who once performed or trained with the USSR or Russian national team, but now they are US citizens.’
The plane is said to have split in two and is in around seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and is unstable, according to the outlet.
Images captured at the scene show emergency officials on boats around what appears to be part of the fuselage and a wing jutting out of the river.
The Federal Aviation Authority said that the jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Runway 33.
Defense officials have confirmed that the Black Hawk was an Army chopper carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
