Prior to the catastrophe, the former Russian world champion figure skaters who were on board the tragic American Airlines aircraft that collided with a Black Hawk chopper over Washington expressed their pride in their son.
Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, were married and returning to Washington on Flight 5342 from Kansas, where they had attended the US Figure Skating Championships.
They did not fly with their 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, a well-known skater for Team USA. He reportedly left Wichita on Monday, according to a teammate.
A couple of days before the disaster, Maxim finished fourth in the tournament, and Evgenia and Vadim told him they were “proud” of him, according to a Moscow article.
“We are proud of you, Maxim,” the couple said in a social media post that Russia’s oldest newspaper, Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti, reposted.
After finishing eighth in the short program at the Nationals, he rose to the podium. The outcome of teamwork is this exquisite and moving performance. Maxim has merited his spot on the four continents’ winning squad.
Numerous skaters, coaches, and their families were on the flight, according to US figure skating, and they had been traveling home from the National Development Camp, which is held in conjunction with the national finals.
We have deep sympathy for the families of the victims and are heartbroken by this unimaginable tragedy. The sport governing body issued a statement saying, “We will keep an eye on the situation and will provide more information as it becomes available.”
“I don’t want to name names, but there were around 14 figure skaters on the plane, not counting their parents and several coaches,” stated American figure skater John Maravilla, as reported by RIA Novosti.
According to officials, the regional passenger flight and the US Army helicopter collided in midair Wednesday night as it approached Reagan Washington National Airport, crashing into the Potomac River.
According to American Airlines, there were four staff members and sixty passengers on board.
Born in Leningrad, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov represented the USSR and Russia in pairs skating competitions, winning the World Championship in 1994.
In 1998, they relocated to the United States to work as coaches.
According to reports, the couple was traveling with a group of teenage skaters after the competition.
According to reports, Maxim, who finished fourth at the Wichita tournament, departed Kansas on Monday alongside figure skater Anton Spiridonov of the United States.
The flight did not include me. “I believe there were people I knew,” Spiridonov remarked. Maxim Naumov left Wichita on Monday, so he wasn’t on board.
“He was with me at the airport, going through security simultaneously.”
But according to Spiridonov, Maxim’s parents were on board.
Fans of skating have paid moving homage to Maxim and his parents on social media today.
“I want to thank my parents and my sister who opened the door [to figure skating],” Maxim, whose parents served as his coaches, once remarked.
“We are devastated to hear that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are believed to have been among those on board,” the International Skating Union said in a statement regarding the accident today.
We are thinking about everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy. We are a close-knit family and figure skating is more than just a sport.
According to accounts, up to 15 passengers may have participated in figure skating during the flight.
A list of 13 skaters, many of whom were the offspring of Russian immigrants to the US, was released by Russia’s Mash news agency. The outlet said that the skaters were thought to have been on the aircraft.
According to TASS, Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who represented the Soviet Union, was also on board. The website of the Washington figure skating club states that she was a coach there.
According to Olga Yermolina, a spokesperson for the Russian figure skating association, Zvezda was informed that Flight 5342 did not contain any active Russian figure skaters.
Yermolina stated, “We must wait for the official lists.”
“These individuals, who currently hold US citizenship, previously played or trained with the USSR or Russian national team and have other passports.”
The outlet claims that the helicopter is upside down and unstable, and that the plane has split in two and is in about seven feet of water.
Pictures taken on the spot show rescue personnel in boats circling what looks to be a piece of the fuselage and a wing protruding from the river.
While approaching Runway 33, the Bombardier CRJ700 jet struck a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.
The Black Hawk was an Army helicopter transporting three soldiers on a training trip, according to confirmation from defense authorities.
