D.C. plane crash: U.S. Figure Skating team members aboard American Airlines flight that collided with helicopter. What we know

Yahoo

30-01-2025

More than 60 people are presumed dead after an airplane and a U.S. Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Among those on board were members of the U.S. Figure Skating team.
The devastating incident occurred around 9 p.m. ET as American Airlines Flight 5342 coming from Wichita, Kansas, was preparing to make a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport located in the heart of Washington, D.C., when it collided with a Blackhawk helicopter plunging both into the frozen river below.
As Thursday morning dawned, search and rescue efforts have now switched to recovery efforts as teams continue to search for those who have yet to be found, said John Donnelly, the chief of Washington's fire department, during a news conference.
Here's what we know so far about the D.C. plane crash.
There were 64 people on board the American Airlines flight and three on the Black Hawk.
As of Thursday morning, Donnelly said 27 people were recovered from the plane and one body was recovered from the helicopter.
'At this point we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," he said.
The U.S. Army confirmed that a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was involved in the Wednesday crash. "We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available," the Army said.
Those on board American Airlines Flight 5342 have not all been identified at this time, but a number of passengers were members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, along with their families and coaches.
Elliana and Ethan Peal, a Nashville, sibling skating duo were not aboard the commercial jet that collided with the military helicopter.
'Praying for those onboard from Wichita to D.C. including the skaters and coaches on that flight,' said Elliana in a statement posted to Instagram stories Thursday morning. 'Absolutely heartbreaking.'
According to the U.S. 2024-25 figure skating roster, Elliana and Ethan are natives of Chicago but reside and train in Nashville, where Elliana attends Lipscomb Academy.
Figure skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane − as well as their respective mothers, Jin and Christine − were on the flight, Doug Zeghibe, the chief executive of the Skating Club of Boston, said.
Russia's state media TASS reported that Russian figure skaters turned coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane the crashed into the Potomac. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing on Thursday that other Russian Nationals were also on board the flight
"We see, unfortunately, that this sad information is confirmed," Peskov said, according to Russian state media, which published his comments. "Our other compatriots were also there. Bad news from Washington today," he told reporters.
Shishkova and Naumov, won the 1994 world championships as pairs figure skaters for Russia before moving to the United States and becoming coaches.
Here's a look at the flight path of both aircraft before the collision.
An investigation is already underway into what caused the collision between the airplane and helicopter over the Potomac River, but officials noted that both the helicopter and the plane were following standard flight patterns.
"Everything was standard in the lead up to the crash," Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who was just recently sworn in on Jan. 28, said. "Now, obviously something happened here, but you'll get more information and more details as this investigation moves forward. We'll learn what happened."
Duffy stated that the National Transportation Safety Board, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, will analyze the aircraft "to get the best results possible for the American people.'
Newly minted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that The Army and the United States Department of Defense "immediately" opened an investigation into the crash.
The Potomac River stretches for 380 miles and four states, starting in the Alleghany Mountains of West Virginia and following into the tidewaters of the Chesapeake Bay at Point Lookout, Maryland. The river's path takes it straight through Washington, D.C. to the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay.
You can find maps of the entire lower Potomac, which includes the flow from Opequon Creek into Washington, D.C., at the Interstate Commission of the Potomac River Basin's website potomacriver.org.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is actually located in Arlington, Virginia, which is just across the river from downtown D.C., on the banks of the Potomac River. It is located two miles from the Pentagon, three miles from Arlington National Cemetery and a little less than four miles from Capitol Hill across the river.
The letters, DCA, is the three-letter code assigned to the airport by the International Air Transport Association.
Tennessean reporter Diana Leyva contributed to this report.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who was on the plane that crashed in Washington D.C.? What we know