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Figure skaters among those on flight that collided with Army helicopter

ARLINGTON, Va. (WDCW) – Several passengers on board an American Airlines airplane that collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night were figure skaters, U.S. Figure Skating said.

The organization released a statement saying athletes, coaches and family members were on their way home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Kansas when the collision happened.

U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement:

“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 Kremlin has confirmed that Russian figure skaters, as well as other Russian nationals, were also on the plane.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters Thursday that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were passengers.

“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.

He did not give details on how many fatalities there were.

Shishkova and Naumov are listed as professional pairs coaches on the website of the Skating Club of Boston. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.

The international governing body for figure skating said the global skating community was “deeply shocked” and heartbroken to learn that figure skaters and those close to them were onboard the flight that collided with a military helicopter.

“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 International Skating Union said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred before 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training flight while on approach to an airport runway. It occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.

The U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and was on a training exercise, had three military members on board.

Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.

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