Media reports Russian skating athletes on board of collided American aircraft
(MENAFN) Several well-known figure skaters and coaches were reportedly on board a passenger plane that crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., following a mid-air collision with a military helicopter. Among the victims were Russian world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
The plane, Flight 5342, was traveling from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, D.C., carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. There were no survivors from the crash.
The passengers included athletes, coaches, and family members from the National Development Team, which trains top juvenile figure skaters. The team had recently attended the national championships in Washington, D.C., where some of the athletes were participating in advanced training sessions.
Among those on board were Shishkova and Naumov, who won the 1994 world championship in the pairs event, and Inna Volyanskaya, a former medalist in both Soviet and international competitions with her partner and husband Valery Spiridonov. Many of the young athletes on the flight were reportedly linked to the Russian-American figure skating community.
Although there were initial concerns that American skater Ilia Malinin, who emigrated from the USSR, might have been among the victims, he later confirmed that he was not on the flight. The skating world has expressed shock and sadness over the tragedy, with athletes like Malinin, Luke Wang, and Ethan Peal offering their condolences.
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