Latest news with #U.S.FigureSkatingChampionship
NBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Figure skater whose parents died in DC plane crash says they changed their flight
Just days after placing fourth at the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, Maxim Naumov suffered an unimaginable loss. The skater's parents, former Olympians Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, died on Jan. 29 when a military Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines airplane over Washington, D.C. Sixty-seven people were killed in the midair collision, 28 of whom were members of the figure skating community. Naumov, 23, told "TODAY" co-anchor Craig Melvin that his parents changed flights before the tragic accident. 'My mom let me know that they're switching flights and that if I could pick them up,' Naumov said. 'My mom always texts me and calls me as soon as they land.' However, the call never came. American Eagle Flight 5342 was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, with 64 people aboard, while the Black Hawk Army chopper held three people. It was the first major accident involving a U.S. commercial airliner since 2009. Naumov's parents were Russian Olympians and world champions. After they retired from competition, they settled in the U.S. and became coaches while raising their only son. 'They were beautiful people. They were so incredibly kind,' Maxim Naumov said, sharing how he moves through the grief. 'The only way out is through. There's no other way. There are no options but to keep going. I don't have the strength or the passion or the drive, or the dedication of one person anymore. It's three people.' On March 2, he returned to the skating ring for the first time since his parents' death. His first performance was for the 'Legacy on Ice' event in Washington, D.C. It was a moving tribute to all the lives that were lost, and after, filled with emotions, he fell to his knees. 'I skated truly, like, from my heart, like, genuinely. I wasn't thinking about the steps, I wasn't thinking about the jumps or the spins or anything like that,' he said. 'I just let my body go, and I've never felt that before.' He added, 'I just had such an overwhelming emotion of love in that moment.' Naumov has yet to make a final decision about what his next steps are in the sport. He is currently an alternate for the U.S. national team and has taken over the youth academy program that his parents founded at the Skating Club of Boston. 'I would not be the person I am today without them. Their love — and their care, and attention to detail was evident in each stage of my life,' he said. 'They were always like superheroes to me.'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
American Airlines pilot killed in DC plane crash identified as Georgia man
One of the pilots killed when an American Airlines flight collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk in Washington, D.C. has been identified as a Georgia man. Sam Lilley was serving as First Officer on the flight before it crashed into the Potomac River. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp called the loss of Lilley and a second Georgia victim, soldier Ryan O'Hara, a 'terrible tragedy.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] House Speaker Jon Burns called Lilley a 'remarkable young man with a bright future ahead of him.' Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero shared a statement on Thursday that read: 'The Georgia Southern community is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our outstanding alumni, Sam Lilley ('18), who embodied the Eagle spirit and soared beyond in his career. We will continue to keep Sam's family and friends in our thoughts as they grieve this tragedy.' Lilley's older sister, Tiffany Gibson, spoke with ABC News and told them about her brother's love for flying. 'It was a lot tougher than he thought it was going to be, but he pursued and kicked butt through it, and then loved. He loved, loved, loved what he did,' she said. Gibson went on to say that Lilley recently got engaged while traveling in Ireland. Executive Pastor Shane Therault, of Coastal Community Christian Church in Richmond Hill, told Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco that he grew up with the 'extremely selfless' Lilley. 'Flying was his life but in his free time, he was getting ready to be married in the fall. He loved spending time with friends. He was really getting prepared for his next phase in life with his fiancée,' he said. 'He was well trusted, well respected. A lot of people leaned on him to help them through tough times.' RELATED STORIES: Soldier on Army helicopter in deadly DC crash graduated from Gwinnett County high school Helicopter, plane collide: Officials say there are no survivors (live updates) Army helicopter, plane crash: What we know about the victims Army helicopter, plane crash: See impact caught on video, hear air traffic control (graphic warning) Three soldiers were on the helicopter conducting a training flight while 64 passengers and crew members were on American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines. President Donald Trump confirmed the NTSB, the U.S. military and other federal agencies would do a comprehensive investigation into the crash to 'figure out exactly what happened.' Within about 12 hours after the crash, at least 28 bodies were pulled from the Potomac River. Several members of the U.S. Figure Skating Association were on board the flight, the organization confirmed. The skaters were from the Skating Club of Boston and included the skaters, coaches and family members who were at a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Many of the victims' identities have not yet been released [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Soldier on Army helicopter in deadly DC crash graduated from Gwinnett County high school
One of those soldiers on board a military helicopter when it crashed into a commercial plane in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night is a graduate of a Gwinnett County High School. The Parkview High School JROTC confirmed that Ryan O'Hara, who graduated from the school in 2014, was the Crew Chief on board the Black Hawk helicopter. 'Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team. Ryan leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son,' they wrote in a statement. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Three soldiers were on the helicopter conducting a training flight while 64 passengers and crew members were on American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines. On Thursday morning, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the soldiers were completing an annual proficiency training flight. 'It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing an annual required night evaluation,' and 'they did have night vision goggles,' Hegseth said. RELATED STORIES: Helicopter, plane collide: Officials say there are no survivors (live updates) Army helicopter, plane crash: What we know about the victims Army helicopter, plane crash: See impact caught on video, hear air traffic control (graphic warning) President Donald Trump confirmed the NTSB, the U.S. military and other federal agencies would do a comprehensive investigation into the crash to 'figure out exactly what happened.' Within about 12 hours after the crash, at least 28 bodies were pulled from the Potomac River. Several members of the U.S. Figure Skating Association were on board the flight, the organization confirmed. The skaters were from the Skating Club of Boston and included the skaters, coaches and family members who were at a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Many of the victims' identities have not yet been released. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WATCH: President Trump to hold briefing on plane crash
WASHINGTON () — President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a briefing at the White House at 11 a.m. EST concerning the deadly collision between an American Airlines plane and military helicopter over the Potomac River. Just after midnight on Wednesday, Jan. 29, Trump released a statement on X, I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at ReaganNational Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being doneby our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details asthey arise.' On Wednesday night, the American Airlines plane, Flight 5342 was getting ready to land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) when it collided with the United States Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. 'No survivors' after American Airlines plane, military helicopter collide near DCA, crash into Potomac River Flight 5342 departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was carrying 60 passengers along with four crew members. Three soldiers were onboard the army helicopter. During a press conference on Thursday morning, officials confirmed that at least 27 bodies had been pulled from the icy Potomac River, where the plane was found inverted in three sections. Officials believed that there were no survivors, which would make the crash the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years. National Harbor closed after remnants from plane crash flows into piers Among those presumed to be dead are figure skaters and coaches, who were traveling home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Kansas, Nexstar's WDCW reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov further confirmed that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were passengers. The crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and the United States Army. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Flights at LAX delayed, canceled in light of deadly Washington DC mid-air collision
The tragic mid-air collision between a Black Hawk Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet caused travel-related shockwaves throughout the nation on Thursday morning. More than 60 were estimated to be killed in the crash, which happened just before 9 p.m. EST outside of the Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. The American Airlines flight, which took off from Wichita, Kansas, was moments away from landing. As of Thursday morning, information regarding the victims was trickling out slowly, but it's believed that several of the passengers were figure skaters returning from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Kansas. The deadly collision prompted the closure of Reagan National on Wednesday night, lasting up until 11 a.m. EST Thursday. All arriving and departing flights in between were either diverted to nearby airports, delayed or canceled. That ripple effect was felt as far as Los Angeles. As of Thursday morning, at least four flights leaving LAX were canceled or delayed as a result of the collision. Of course, those affected by the flight changes were sympathetic and understood that there were more important things than simply arriving at their destination on time. 'My thoughts and heart go out to the families,' said traveler Tim Aguayo. 'I feel bad for them and it's just tragic to hear.' Figure skaters among those on flight that collided with Army helicopter Aguayo was set to fly from LAX to Reagan on Thursday morning with his brother and father. He told KTLA's Carlos Herrera that he didn't know about the deadly crash until the morning. Their flight was yet to be delayed as of Thursday morning, but American Airlines warned them that a delay could be possible, depending on the situation in Washington. Employees with the airline worked with passengers all morning to ensure that any changes to their travel plans could be accommodated. Several passengers that Herrera spoke to said they weren't very comfortable with flying in the wake of the crash. A recent study from MIT found that commercial flights were exceedingly safe, easily the safest mode of transportation in the world, but recent events left an obvious and understandable impression. Aguayo said the situation didn't change his thoughts on air travel. He said he's always 'apprehensive' about flying, but 'can't waste [his] time being scared. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
