Members of the figure skating community have spoken out after an American Airlines flight tragically collided with an Army helicopter late Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., leaving all 67 on board both aircraft presumably dead.
U.S. Figure Skating released a statement confirming that “several members of our skating community” were aboard the flight. The organization said they were returning home from a development camp being held after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, which concluded on Sunday.
“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.”
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Wichita Mayor Lily Wu did not confirm how many members of U.S. Figure Skating were on board Flight 5342 during a press conference on Thursday morning.
“It was truly an honor to have future Olympians and those who are at the highest competition level of figure skating, right here in our capital,” she said.
“We were so excited to have the opportunity to host the national championship, and even yesterday I had folks tell me how wonderful these last few days have been with additional individuals that came into our community, whether to watch or to participate. So our community was really excited and thankful that everything went well with the championship. And so right now we’re just waiting for more information from U.S. Figure Skating that we can release. But right now we’re just hoping and praying again.”
First responders switched to recovery efforts in the Potomac River after it was believed that there were no survivors. There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the flight and three soldiers aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER
“This is heartbreaking,” Team USA figure skater Josphine Lee wrote in a post to her Instagram Stories. “My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone on the flight, including the skaters, coaches, and parents.”
Team USA pair skater Luke Wang shared a similar sentiment in a post on X.
“Praying for all those on the flight from wichita to dc. Among the passengers were skaters and coaches. Absolutely heartbreaking.”
Several other Team U.S. figure skaters also took to social media.
“Words cannot fathom the fear and sadness I feel from this event,” reigning pairs U.S. junior champion Hana Maria Aboian said early Thursday morning. “It is absolutely terrible and I pray for all the athletes, coaches, and everyone onboard to be safe and healthy.”
“I am at a loss for words… I can’t even explain how devastated I feel for the loss of amazing people that were on this flight. I’m sending prayers to their families and the figure skating community,” Starr Andrews said.
The International Skating Union also released a statement.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family—and we stand together. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement read in part.
Two former Olympians, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were also believed to be among the victims of the plane crash, the Kremlin confirmed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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