A tragic midair collision occurred on Wednesday as an American Eagle flight, carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members, collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. The flight, operated by American Eagle, a subsidiary of American Airlines, crashed into the Potomac River following the collision. Among the passengers were elite American figure skaters returning from a training camp in Wichita, Kansas.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that the athletes had attended the National Development Camp after the conclusion of the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championship on Sunday. The championship served as a critical qualifier for the U.S. World and Junior Championship teams. The camp provided a platform for athletes to enhance their skills and exposure to high-performance programs.
"Athletes participate in a three-day educational training program to accelerate their exposure to High Performance Programs and Team USA." – U.S. Figure Skating
The collision claimed the lives of several promising skaters, including Russian world pairs figure skating champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The couple, who won the pairs figure skating event at the 1994 World Championship, had been residing in the United States since 1998 and had retired from competitive skating.
The National Development Camp held immediately after the championship offered significant opportunities for young skaters.
"Athletes also have the opportunity to be selected for advanced novice and junior international competitions and other high performance programs and competitions at the conclusion of the camp." – U.S. Figure Skating
Dmitry Peskov expressed his condolences to the families affected by this tragic incident.
"We grieve and console with the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in this plane crash." – Dmitry Peskov