The terrible accident that occurred when American Airlines 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter en route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has really shaken many. 60 passengers on the plane along with four crew members died, as did three military members who were on the helicopter.
Some of the individuals who were on the airplane included the US figure skating team, athletes, coaches, and family members. They were on their way home from the National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.
According to the governing body of that sport, Russian-born ice-skating coaches and world champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on the flight and traveling with a group of young skaters. They were a married couple that lived in the United States for about 25 years and they trained young skaters.
One of the coaches that played a key role in their skating careers, Ludmila Velikova spoke to the media and said that 14 trainers and skaters were on the flight. The trainer’s son, Maxum, was also competing in Kansas but he was not on the same flight home.
The US figure skating community is now in a state of mourning. They concluded the 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.”
Officials are not yet releasing the names of those who were on board the plane and they have not disclosed the specific numbers of skaters. There were many athletes, including those who competed in singles, pairs, and ice dance who were at the US figure skating championships in Wichita at the time.
One of the individuals who appears to have been on the departing flight was Spencer Lane. He was at the National Development Camp, which was a goal since he first learned that the program had started.
Lane posted an image a few hours before the crash that appeared to be from the inside of the flight. He did so as an Instagram story. The picture was taken from inside, looking out the window and showing the wing of the plane before takeoff. The caption showed that he was en route to the Ronald Reagan National Airport.
