Washington plane crash: Russian world champion figure skaters Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova among victims

An American Airlines plane with 64 passengers aboard collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter outside of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. In the tragic incident, Russian ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, reported the Russian state media.

According to reports, several members of the US figure skating community were present on board the American Airlines passenger plane that crashed near Ronald Reagan National Airport. The flight was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC, and was carrying 64 passengers and crew members.

According to the media, the United States Figure Skating Association confirmed that athletes, coaches, and family members were coming back from the national development camp that was held in concurrence with the US championships in Wichita.

Quite a few Russian American members of skate team were on the plane coming back from national championship.. Soviet Union Champions pair-Evgeniya Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Inna Volyanskaya a former skater and later trainer ¡­ omg there were kids on board as well ? ???

¡ª BionicQ (@BionicQSkyZ) January 30, 2025

Who are Shishkova and Naumov?

Shishkova and Naumov were married and won the world championships in pairs figures in 1994. The couple lived in the United States, where they trained young ice skaters.

The couple has a son named Maxim, who was also feared to have been on board the plane, reported Russia's TASS and RIA news agencies. Maxim had been competing at the U.S. figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas, from January 20-26, as per the event's website.

?DEVELOPING: Russian Figure Skating Champions Among Victims in Tragic U.S. Plane Crash

Russian media reports that Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, celebrated figure skating champions, were onboard PSA Airlines Flight 5342 that was struck by a Black Hawk helo from Langley pic.twitter.com/uEWINjsRRP

¡ª Jay Anderson (@TheProjectUnity) January 30, 2025

More about the Washington plane crash

The US passenger plane crash took place on Wednesday when it was about to land at the nearby Reagan National Airport after flying from Kansas. So far, 18 people have been confirmed dead, as per the reports.

American Airlines, whose subsidiary operated the flight, in a statement mentioned that there were around 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.

A separate statement has been released by the military spokesperson mentioning that the Army helicopter that collided with the plane carried three soldiers on it.

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