Among those on board the US aircraft that crashed close to Washington were a pair who are skating trainers and previous world champions.
In a statement, US Figure Skating confirmed that community members were on board the American Airlines flight 5342, which took off from Wichita, Kansas. The aircraft struck a military Black Hawk chopper when it was traveling to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
On the evening of Wednesday, January 29, the plane, which had 60 passengers and four crew members, and the helicopter, which was carrying three military personnel, collided in midair before plummeting into the Potomac River.
The skaters, coaches, and family members aboard had been returning home from the National Development Camp, which was held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, according to US Figure Skating.
The group of young skaters was traveling with Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former world champions and ice skating trainers of Russian descent, according to the governing body.
According to reports, the married couple had been in the US since at least 1998 and had been spending their time teaching young ice skaters. When they won the 1994 couples figure skating world championship, they were well-known throughout the world.
The instructor who helped shape Shishkova and Naumov’s skating careers from an early age, Ludmila Velikova, told the media that the trip included 14 athletes and coaches. Speaking from St. Petersburg, Velikova said he was relieved that Maxim, the couple’s son who had competed in Kansas, was not traveling on the same flight.
US Figure Skating is now in mourning. They concluded in their statement, “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 names of individuals on board the jet and the precise number of skaters have not been made public by officials. On the other hand, competitors competed in ice dance, couples, and singles at the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
All four of the 2024 US champions participated in this year’s competition. These include Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kam.
However, Christine Brennan, a sports analyst, has emphasized the importance of the National Development Camp in helping young skaters grow. Many of the passengers on the aircraft were viewed as potential future competitors for important events, such as the Olympic Games in 2030, she said.
Spencer Lane, one of the participants, was overjoyed to have been selected for the National Development Camp, something he had wanted to do ever since he first heard about it. He celebrated by posting a video and a collage of pictures to Instagram, where he posed with other campers and revealed how excited he was about the experience.
Regretfully, his greatest wish has now become a tragedy. A few hours prior to the collision, Lane shared a spooky photo on his Instagram account that appeared to have been taken inside the doomed aircraft.
Before the plane lifted off, the wing was visible in the picture taken via the window. He was traveling from Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport, according to the image’s description.
Although the exact number of people killed in the mid-air accident between the airplane and the military helicopter has not yet been confirmed, authorities have indicated that there is little chance of survival.
However, according to DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, one body has been retrieved from the military helicopter and 27 from the passenger flight thus far. According to Donnelly, search operations have now changed to a recovery operation.
President Donald Trump has also responded to the plane crash with posts on Truth Social. Following the FAA’s announcement, Vice President (VP) JD Vance also offered his thoughts.
According to a statement shared on X by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was approaching Runway 33 at the airport when it collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter in mid-air. “PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines,” adds the FAA.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be in charge of the crash investigation, with assistance from the FAA. Additionally, the aviation administration affirmed that they will keep the public informed when new information becomes available.
The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional plane was making a regular and accurate approach to the airport, according to Trump’s first statement.
He went on to say that the helicopter with which the airliner had collided had been aimed directly at the aircraft for a considerable amount of time.
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane [sic],” penned Trump.
At the end of his statement, he emphasized the gravity of the situation, expressing his belief that it could have been avoided, before exclaiming, “NOT GOOD!!!” In his second Truth Social post, the POTUS reiterated the devastation of the incident. Addressing the public directly, he stated, “God bless you all!”
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, also spoke about the incident. She stressed the administration’s focus on people affected and acknowledged the crash’s seriousness in an interview with TV host Sean Hannity.
“I can confirm that President Trump has been made aware of the situation, and tragically, it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet at DCA airport right here in Washington, D.C.,” Leavitt said.
She said, “That’s all I can confirm at this point in time, and I can just say that the thoughts and the prayers of the entire Trump administration are with all those that are involved, and we ask the public in this area to please stand by for guidance from law enforcement and allow them to do their jobs as they attempt to save lives right now.”
Like Leavitt and Trump, VP JD Vance spoke out about the tragedy as well, sharing a brief but solemn message on X. “Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We’re monitoring the situation, but for now let’s hope for the best,” wrote the VP.
News organizations are still on the ground, offering real-time updates as new information becomes available while the investigation into the tragic mid-air crash continues. The wreckage of both aircraft, an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle Flight 5342 regional plane, is still scattered in the Potomac River, where search operations are still underway, according to CBS News.
The frigid water temperatures and dangerous conditions on the Potomac further complicate the bleak hunt. According to the BBC, over 300 emergency personnel are putting in a lot of overtime despite the harsh conditions, which include low visibility, strong winds, and cold waters.
According to rescue professionals, the hostile climate significantly lowers survival chances because the cold shock response starts seconds after exposure. Divers have recovered luggage and debris from the crash site in addition to human bodies.
A dive crew has found one of the aircraft’s black boxes, but it’s still unclear if it’s the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder. The plane’s debris is in 5 to 8 feet of water. The helicopter, however, is said to be mostly undamaged but upside down.
Regarding the examination of the planes’ flight paths, information from tracking websites indicates that the Black Hawk was descending along the Potomac River from the north, and the regional jet was descending steadily toward Reagan National Airport from the south.
The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is inefficient below 700 feet, which may have contributed to the deadly disaster, according to veteran American Airlines pilot Doug Rice. This is despite the fact that aircraft are equipped with safety systems intended to detect and prevent mid-air collisions.
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