Among the passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided with a United States Army helicopter on Wednesday evening at approximately nine o’clock, were Russian champion figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Shishkova and Naumov won the World Figure Skating Championship in Pairs in 1994.
The United States of America Figure Skating Association disclosed that a number of other members of the skating community were also on board.
Wichita, Kansas served as the location for the National Development Camp, and the skaters, along with their coaches and relatives, were making their way back home.
According to the statement released by the United States of America Figure Skating, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the families of the victims to a close place in our hearts.”
“We will continue to keep a close eye on the situation, and we will make additional information regarding it available as it becomes available.”
Maxim Shishkova, who is 23 years old and the son of Shishkova and Naumov, was also a part of the camp. Many people were concerned that he was also on board, however a teammate named Anton Spiridonov stated that he departed Wichita on Monday and did not fly with his parents.
“I should have been on the airplane. I believe that individuals I knew were involved,” Spiridonov stated. The departure of Maxim Naumov from Wichita on Monday meant that he was not present.
At the same time that I was going through security at the airport, he was also there with me.
According to Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti, the oldest newspaper in Russia, the couple wrote a message to their son, expressing their pride in his accomplishments and congratulating him on coming in fourth place in a competition just a few days before the accident.
“We are proud of you, Maxim,” the couple had written in a message that they had made on social media. After coming in seventh place in the short program at the Nationals, he made his way up to the middle of the podium. This stunning and moving performance is the result of the collaboration of the people involved. Maxim has proven that he is worthy of being included on the team of champions from all four continents.
In the year 1998, the pair made the journey from the city of Leningrad in Russia to the United States of America, where they began working as trainers.
According to Olga Yermolina, a spokesperson for Russia’s figure skating association, there were no current Russian figure skaters aboard Flight 5342. This information was provided to Zvezda.
The official lists are something that we need to wait for, according to Yermolina.
Individuals who were formerly members of the Soviet Union or the Russian national team and who now hold citizenship in the United States of America are referred to as “people with other passports.”
John Donnelly, the chief of fire and emergency medical services in the District of Columbia, was quoted as saying that they believe all 64 passengers who were on board are presumed to be deceased.
According to what he said, “We do not believe that there are any survivors from this accident,” and “we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter.”
In addition, the Potomac river, which is the location where the plane crashed, had recently frozen, which made it incredibly challenging for police divers and boats to scour the water for bodies.
The authorities anticipate that the operation will continue for a number more days.
