An American Airlines plane carrying 64 people collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night.
A massive search operation for survivors is underway near the Potomac River and Reagan National Airport near Washington DC.
Russian state media outlet TASS reports that former world champion figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who are married, were onboard.
Their son, Maxim, is also feared to have been on the plane, having competed at the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
The United States Figure Skating organization confirmed in a statement that multiple figure skaters and coaches were aboard the American Airlines flight.
Russia’s Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters who were onboard, many of them children of emigres to the U.S.
“Several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter in Washington, D.C.,” the US Figure Skating organization said.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
“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.”
Nineteen bodies have been recovered so far from the crash area, according to multiple reports.
U.S President Donald Trump posted a statement on Truth Social addressing what he described to be a ‘preventable’ situation.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump said.
x@aletweetsnewsAn image of a US Army helicopter colliding with an American Airlines plane[/caption]
x@aletweetsnewsAn explosion followed the mid-air collision[/caption]
“The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period 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. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
American Airlines also confirmed the collision and issued a video statement from CEO Robert Isom.
“American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA,” American Airlines said.
“The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700.
“There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.
GettyEmergency teams approach airplane wreckage in the river[/caption]
GettyUS Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks at a press conference[/caption]
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.”
This story will be updated …
