An Army Black Hawk collided with an American Airlines flight
US intel officer '100% confident' NTSB, other agencies will learn what happened in plane, helicopter collision
Rebekah Koffler, former U.S. defense intel officer, offers her perspective on the tragic collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
U.S. and Russian figure skaters were on board an American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
U.S. Figure Skating said athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from a camp held in Wichita, Kansas.
Bodies lie on the ground next to emergency vehicles, near the site of the crash after American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, outside Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
"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.," the organization said. "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."
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Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won a pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were on board the plane as well, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash," he said.
The International Skating Union said it was "deeply shocked" over the incident.
Emergency vehicles stage at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Wolf/AP)
"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," the organization said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
