Tragic plane crash twist leaves couple's son orphaned as victims named

Figure skating champions turned coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were connected the doomed formation to Washington that became a fireball successful a sky

A tragic household communicative has emerged successful airy of the American Airlines air disaster.

A commercialized pitchy carrying 60 passengers and 3 unit members was coming successful to onshore astatine the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport soon earlier 9pm connected Wednesday US clip - 2am present successful the UK - erstwhile it collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter. The tiny aircraft, which had 3 radical onboard, was connected a grooming formation from Virginia.

Locals who witnessed the horrific crash saw a achromatic fireball successful the sky, not knowing what they were witnessing until exigency services rushed to devastating country astatine the River Potomac. A analyzable rescue cognition ensued but tragically, each 67 radical who were either connected the airplane oregon chopper person been confirmed dead.

While the bulk of victims person yet to beryllium identified, the clang has already ripped done the close-knit assemblage of the fig skating. American fig skater John Maravilla, arsenic reported by Russian authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti, said: "I don't privation to sanction names, but determination were astir 14 fig skaters connected the plane, not counting their parents and respective coaches."

World champion fig skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were named arsenic being passengers onboard Flight 5342 by Russian authorities media. The joined couple, who won the World Figure Skating Championship successful pairs successful 1994, were attending the US Figure Skating Championship successful Wichita, Kansas.

Evgenia, 53, and Vadim, 56, were calved successful Leningrad, moving to the US successful 1998 to enactment arsenic coaches. They were said to beryllium travelling with a radical of young skaters. The couple's lad Maxim Naumov, a Team USA skater, placed 4th astatine the contention and was not connected the plane, with squad mate Anton Spiridonov telling Russian media the 23-year-old had taken a formation connected Monday. "He was astatine the airdrome with me, going done information astatine the aforesaid time," helium said.

US fig skating confirmed skaters, coaches and their household members had been onboard, returning location from the National Development Camp which is held successful conjunction with the nationalist championships. "We are devastated by this unspeakable calamity and clasp the victims' families intimately successful our hearts," said the sport's governing body.

The International Skating Union added: "We are heartbroken to larn that fig skaters, on with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to beryllium among those connected board. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is much than a athletics — it's a close-knit household — and we basal together."

With much than 300 archetypal responders moving to retrieve victims from the clang site, aviation adept Alex Macheras told The Mirror the worst aerial catastrophe for 15 years connected US ungraded would "almost certainly" pb to change. "This besides progressive a commercialized pitchy equipped with TCAS—technology designed to assistance forestall mid-air collisions—operated by trained pilots who are drilled successful avoiding specified situations," helium said.

"That a Black Hawk chopper was permitted to transverse the last attack way of incoming rider craft volition astir surely trigger cardinal changes that could alteration US aerial travel/airspace absorption going forward."