People, including law enforcement members, are seen on a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan crashed into the river after colliding with a US Army helicopter, near Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025.. There are likely no survivors from a collision between a passenger jet and US Army helicopter in Washington, officials said Thursday, as recovery operations pulled 28 bodies from the river into which both crashed. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Several passengers who were on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday night included figure skaters who were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and two of their Russian coaches.
As emergency crews search the frigid waters, officials said Thursday morning that they have recovered 28 bodies from the water, and they do not believe that anyone survived.
A representative of the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury said they are heartbroken by the tragedy.
"We are heartbroken by the tragedy that has impacted our skating community. The skating community is small yet incredibly strong. Our hearts are broken as we process the devastating loss and uncertainty surrounding those involved in this tragedy,” Juliette Zielinski, Learn to Skate Director and Private Figure Skating Coach, said, speaking on behalf of the International Skating Center of Connecticut, said in a statement.
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“Many of those aboard were not only training partners, fellow coaches, and colleagues but also dear friends and members of our extended skating family. During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones. As a community, we will lean on one another for strength and support. We appreciate the outpouring of love while we navigate this difficult time,” Zielinski added.
U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp that followed the championships, which wrapped up Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.
Two skaters who have trained at the Connecticut Skating Academy in Cromwell were competing in Wichita and returned home several days ago, according to the academy.
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They said Michela Melillo and Karl Schapel are safe.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian figure skaters, as well as other Russian nationals, were on the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters Thursday that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were aboard the plane.
Peskov did not name Shishkova and Naumov, but he answered in the affirmative when asked whether they were aboard the flight, according to the Washington Post.
Shishkova and Naumov are listed as professional pairs coaches on the website of the Skating Club of Boston. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.
