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 over Washington last night, Jan. 29.
Shishkova and Naumov, who were married, won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994.
Russian state-run TASS news agency reported this morning, Jan. 30, that they were on board the doomed flight, citing a source.
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, gaining a podium position.
It is not yet clear if he was on the plane from Kansas with his parents.
US figure skating has confirmed that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on board the flight, and had been returning home from the National Development Camp which is held in conjunction 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.
The regional passenger jet and a 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.
The airline has confirmed that there were 60 passengers and four crew members on Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to the capital when the collision happened.
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.
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.
Defence officials have confirmed that the Black Hawk was an Army chopper carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
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