Jan 23, 2025; Wichita, Kansas, USA; Basic view of the brand on the ice earlier than the 2025 U.S. Determine Skating Championship at INTRUST Financial institution Area. Necessary Credit score: William Purnell-Imagn Photos Prime determine skaters and their coaches had been among the many 64 folks aboard an American Airways flight that crashed right into a U.S. Military helicopter on Wednesday evening close to Washington, D.C.
By early Thursday, no less than 28 our bodies had been pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River as emergency crews shifted their mission from rescue to restoration.
“We do not imagine there are any survivors,” mentioned John Donnelly, the hearth chief within the nation’s capital.
The airplane was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members because it ready to land at Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport. The Black Hawk helicopter had three folks aboard.
The jet was discovered upside-down in no less than three sections in waist-deep water. It’s the first main business airline crash on U.S. soil since Feb. 12, 2009, when 50 folks died close to Buffalo, N.Y.
U.S. Determine Skating issued an announcement early Thursday morning.
“U.S. Determine Skating can verify that a number of members of our skating neighborhood had been sadly aboard American Airways Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday night in Washington, D.C. These athletes, coaches, and members of the family had been returning residence from the Nationwide Improvement Camp held together with the U.S. Determine Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
“We’re devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and maintain the victims’ households carefully in our hearts. We’ll proceed to observe the scenario and can launch extra info because it turns into out there.”
The U.S. Determine Skating Championships ran from Jan. 20 by means of Sunday, although many skaters remained afterward for the superior coaching camp.
The Worldwide Skating Union, the game’s governing physique, issued an announcement stating it was “deeply shocked” by the crash.
“Our ideas are with everybody affected by this tragedy,” the group mentioned. “Determine skating is greater than a sport — it is a close-knit household — and we stand collectively. We stay in shut contact with U.S. Determine Skating and provide our full help throughout this extremely tough time.”
The information of the crash rapidly unfold all through the skating neighborhood.
“praying for all these on the flight from wichita to dc,” U.S. pairs skater Luke Wang, a 20-year-old from the Baltimore space, posted to X. “among the many passengers had been skaters and coaches. completely heartbreaking.”
praying for all these on the flight from wichita to dc. among the many passengers had been skaters and coaches. completely heartbreaking.
— LUKE WANG (@lukeawang) January 30, 2025
Aviation tragedy has touched the U.S. determine skating scene earlier than.
In February 1961, 18 members of america determine skating group and 14 different members of their touring occasion had been amongst 73 folks killed when their airplane crashed in Belgium. They had been en path to the World Determine Skating Championships in Prague.
Amongst these killed was 16-year-old Laurence Owen, who simply 4 days earlier had received the North American Determine Skating Championships in Philadelphia and a month after profitable the U.S. title. She completed sixth on the 1960 Winter Olympics.
There was no fast phrase on the reason for Wednesday evening’s collision, which occurred beneath clear situations.
“On remaining strategy into Reagan Nationwide, it collided with a navy plane on an in any other case regular strategy,” American Airways CEO Robert Isom mentioned. “Presently, we do not know why the navy plane got here into the trail of the … plane.”
–Area Stage Media
