Philadelphia Skating Club mourns members killed in plane-helicopter crash at Reagan National Airport
Skaters from Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society are among the victims in the tragic crash involving an American Airlines subsidiary's plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington D.C., the club said on social media on Thursday.
Several U.S. and Russian figure skaters, families and coaches were aboard American Eagle Flight No. 5342, a passenger jet that collided in midair with the helicopter while about to land at Reagan. President Trump and Washington's head of fire and emergency medical services said there were no survivors in the crash.
"The Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society is devastated to learn of the crash in Washington D.C. that took the lives of several members of the figure skating community, including beloved members of our club," the club said in a statement posted to social media.
"We feel immense grief at the loss of so many talented skaters, their coaches and families. We share this loss and grieve with the entire USFS Community. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone during this tragic time," PSCHS said.
There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet and three people aboard the helicopter, CBS News reported. U.S. Figure Skating told CBS News the flight's passengers were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
According to U.S. Figure Skating's website, the National Development Camp is where the top juvenile, intermediate and novice athletes from the U.S. Sectional Finals undergo three days of training and education to ramp up their exposure to high performance programs and Team USA.
At the conclusion of the camp, qualifying skaters may also be selected for more advanced novice and junior competitions, USFS' website reads.
Juvenile skaters tend to be 13 years old or younger and intermediate skaters tend to be 15 years of age or younger, according to USFS guidelines. Novice skaters typically range in age between eight and 15 years old.
Most victims of the crash have not been identified, though the Skating Club of Boston named two figure skaters, their mothers and coaches killed in the crash, CBS News Boston reported. The coaches, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, are Russian-born figure skaters and former world champions who coached at the Skating Club of Boston.
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