Members of the U.S number skating group were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with an armed forces helicopter near Washington, D.C, on Wednesday evening and dove right into the Potomac River, UNITED STATE Figure Skating has actually revealed.
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.
“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.”
The UNITED STATE Figure Skating Championships happenedJan 21-26 in Wichita, Kansas.
UNITED STATE Figure Skating did not recognize any one of the participants of its group that got on board.
Doug Zeghibe, the chief executive officer and executive supervisor of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, verified to NBC News that adolescent skaters, Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, and their mommies, Molly Lane and Jin Han, were aboard the trip together with their instructors, previous globe champs Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
They remained in Wichita for National Development Camp, a training for beginner skaters not contending in the united state champions.
“Skating is a very close and tight knit community. These kids and their parents — they are here at our skating facility in Norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. It is a close, tight bond, and I think for all of us, we have lost family,” Zeghibe stated.
Zeghibe defined Spencer Lane, that he stated was 16, as “highly talented, like incredibly talented. Has not been skating that long and just rocketing to the top of the sport.” Lane, Zeghibe stated, travelled from Providence, Rhode Island, to educate at the center in Boston.
Just prior to leaving Wichita, Lane uploaded this video clip on TikTok:
Of Jinna Han, Zeghibe defined her as “a wonderful kid. … Great athlete, great competitor, loved by all.”
Russian state media and the Kremlin additionally verified that the Russian- birthed Shishkova and Naumov, a couple that have actually resided in the united state considering that 1998, got on board.
“This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community,” Zeghibe stated. “The [coaches] came to us in 2017 and were very much a part of our building the competitive skating program here at the Skating Club of Boston.”
The Skating Club of Boston is arranged to organize the World Championships in March at TD Garden.
The business trip originating from Wichita was making its method to Reagan National Airport when it hit the helicopter around 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters that 28 bodies have actually been recuperated. There were 60 guests and 4 staff participants aboard AA5342, according toAmerican Airlines The Army stated there were 3 bear up the helicopter.
“We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” Donnelly stated.
