Recent reports claim that numerous members of a US figure skating team were on board the American Airlines flight that crashed into a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. Flight 5342 came into contact with a Black Hawk helicopter mid-air over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. This collision led to an explosion that was caught on camera. It showed both the aircraft crashing into the water below.
American Airlines flight that crashed had several members of U.S. figure skating team
According to a report by People Magazine, several members of a US figure skating team were on the flight that was involved in the crash with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter on January 29.
The flight which took off from Wichita, Kansas with a total of 60 passengers and four crew members also had these figure skaters onboard as stated by the US Figure Skating Association in a press release on their website. They stated, “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 on Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 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.”
The association also asserted that they were “devastated” by the incident and promised to keep track of the situation. Additionally, in their report, The Guardian disclosed that the number of figure skaters was around 14. This includes Russian figure skating pair Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, members of the Boston Skating Club, and their mothers.
The crash happened near Reagan National Airport and the army helicopter involved was carrying three soldiers. The exact time of impact was 8:47 p.m. ET, as obtained from the live footage captured at the Kennedy Center. Furthermore, a search-and-rescue operation is currently being carried out. Approximately 19 bodies have been recovered from the river with no survivors by Thursday morning, as per CBS News.
