World Champion Skaters’ Fatal American Airlines Crash: A Heartbreaking Loss
On the evening of January 29, 2025, an American Airlines regional jet, Flight 5342, collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. The collision resulted in both aircraft crashing into the Potomac River, leading to multiple fatalities.
Among the passengers were former world champion figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the world pairs figure skating championship in 1994. The couple had been residing in the United States since 1998, coaching young skaters.
Their son, Maxim Naumov, a U.S. singles figure skater, was also feared to be on board. The family was returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
In addition to the Naumov family, several other figure skaters and coaches were on the flight, including rising star Spencer Lane, who had shared a photo of the plane’s wing before takeoff. The U.S. Figure Skating community and the International Skating Union have expressed their shock and condolences.
Recovery efforts are ongoing under challenging conditions, with at least 19 bodies recovered so far. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other authorities are investigating the cause of the collision, focusing on the final moments of the flight and communications with air traffic control.