Best determine skaters and their coaches had been a few of the 64 folks aboard an American Airways flight that crashed right into a U.S. Military helicopter on Wednesday evening close to Washington, D.C.
Through early Thursday, a minimum of 28 our bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River as emergency crews shifted their venture from rescue to restoration.
“We do not consider there are any survivors,” mentioned John Donnelly, the fireplace leader within the country’s capital.
The aircraft used to be wearing 60 passengers and 4 staff participants because it ready to land at Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport. The Black Hawk helicopter had 3 folks aboard.
The jet used to be discovered upside-down in a minimum of 3 sections in waist-deep water. It’s the first primary industrial airline crash on U.S. soil since Feb. 12, 2009, when 50 folks died close to Buffalo, N.Y.
U.S. Determine Skating issued a commentary early Thursday morning.
“U.S. Determine Skating can ascertain that a number of participants of our skating group had been unfortunately aboard American Airways Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter the day before today night time in Washington, D.C. Those athletes, coaches, and members of the family had been returning house from the Nationwide Building Camp held at the side of the U.S. Determine Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
“We’re devastated via this unspeakable tragedy and dangle the sufferers’ households intently in our hearts. We will be able to proceed to watch the placement and can liberate additional information because it turns into to be had.”
The U.S. Determine Skating Championships ran from Jan. 20 via Sunday, although many skaters remained in a while for the complicated coaching camp.
The World Skating Union, the game’s governing frame, issued a commentary declaring it used to be “deeply surprised” via the crash.
“Our ideas are with everybody suffering from this tragedy,” the group mentioned. “Determine skating is greater than a game — it is a close-knit circle of relatives — and we stand in combination. We stay in shut touch with U.S. Determine Skating and be offering our complete strengthen all the way through this extremely tough time.”
The inside track of the crash briefly unfold all through the skating group.
“praying for all the ones at the flight from wichita to dc,” U.S. pairs skater Luke Wang, a 20-year-old from the Baltimore house, posted to X. “a few of the passengers had been skaters and coaches. completely heartbreaking.”
praying for all the ones at the flight from wichita to dc. a few of the 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 participants of the US determine skating workforce and 14 different participants in their touring birthday celebration had been amongst 73 folks killed when their airplane crashed in Belgium. They had been en path to the Global Determine Skating Championships in Prague.
Amongst the ones killed used to be 16-year-old Laurence Owen, who simply 4 days previous had received the North American Determine Skating Championships in Philadelphia and a month after profitable the U.S. identify. She completed 6th on the 1960 Wintry weather Olympics.
There used to be no instant phrase on the reason for Wednesday evening’s collision, which passed off below transparent stipulations.
“On ultimate method into Reagan Nationwide, it collided with an army airplane on an differently standard method,” American Airways CEO Robert Isom mentioned. “Presently, we do not know why the army airplane got here into the trail of the … airplane.”
–Box Stage Media