American figures, former Russian world champions on board crashed a plane | Aviation News

US Figure Skating confirmed that several skaters were in a regional passenger plane of American Airlines, which crashes Near the Reagan Washington National Airport, just outside Washington, Colombia in Virginia.

The aircraft, with 64 passengers and crew, was on the way to Washington, Colombia County, from Wichita, Kansas, when he collided in the middle with a helicopter of the US Army Black Hawk on Wednesday.

Russian figure skaters, including the world championship couple Evgeni Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the title of couples in 1994, were also aboard the passenger plane, Russian state news agencies said.

The Kremlin confirmed that Russian citizens were aboard the plane, saying they had seen “sad reports” that the couple was among them.

The officials did not say how many people were killed in the accident, but suggested that there may not be no survivors.

American figure skating said athletes, coaches and family members are returning from the National Development Camp, held jointly with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichka, Kansas.

“We are devastated by this indescribable tragedy and hold the families of the victims closely in our hearts,” a statement said.

More than 180 athletes competed in the championships on January 20-26 in Kansas, the organization said. The development camp was held on January 27-28 for nearly 150 current skaters through performance levels, said the US Figure Skating Website.

Officials said the American jet and an army helicopter crashed into the Potomak River after colliding near Reagan Washington National Airport.

Several passengers were members of the US Figure Skating Community, who participated in a training camp for the best adolescents held after the US Championships in Wichita.

“Figure skating is more than a sport, it's a close family and we stand together,” added the International Skate Union (ISU).

“We are death to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, understands that they are among those on board,” the global governing body said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Figure skating is more than a sport-it's a close family-we're standing together. We remain in close contact with the figure skating of us and offer our full support over this incredibly difficult time. “

“The best people have been taken away”

Shishkova, 52 -year -old, and every 55 -year -old, competed at six World Championships between 1991 to 1996, winning gold, silver and bronze medals.

The couple, who married in 1995, ended their career after failing to qualify for the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998.

After they became professionals, they moved to the United States to become coaches, first in Connecticut and from 2017 in Boston.

Their 23-year-old son Maxim Naumov, US champion in 2020, recently ranked fourth in the US National Championships in Kansas.

Inna Volanskaya, a former skater competing for the Soviet Union, has also been reported to be on board, Tas said. She was a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, according to his website.

Russia's Figure Skating Federation said it was “shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy”.

“Some of them were our compatriots, and at their time they contributed significantly to the home figure skating,” he said in him, not nameing any of the victims.

Speaking to St. Petersburg, Louvmila Velikova, who trained Shishkova and Naumov when they were children and who were the main one for their success, told the Reuters Agency that a group of 14 skaters and trainers were aboard the plane.

She said she was devastated by the loss of Shishkova and Naumov, but she was relieved that their son Maxim, who had competed in Kansas, was not on the same plane.

“They were my favorite sports people. They were part of my first experience in the World Cup and became champions in 1994. They were talented and beautiful people, “says Velikova, apparently distracted.

“Among other things, they were my children. Zhenya (Shishkova) has been training with me from the age of 11 and the bishop (Imm) from the age of 14. They were like my own children. What happened is terrible. The best people were taken away from us. “