World champion figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov have joined the victims of the plane crash in Washington that occurred on Wednesday night. The collision of the American Airlines affiliate's plane with a military helicopter took place around 8:48 PM local time, and after hours of searching, Washington authorities ruled out finding anyone alive. According to John Donnelly, chief of the Washington Fire and Emergency Services, a total of 27 bodies have been recovered from the commercial plane, which had a total of 64 passengers.
For now, it is known that among the victims were 14 athletes, coaches, and family members related to figure skating. These athletes and their loved ones had taken the plane back from a competition that took place from January 20 to 26 in Wichita, Kansas. The United States Figure Skating Federation expressed its condolences for the tragedy and mentioned that Maxim Naumov, the son of the deceased skating couple, finished in fourth place in the men's free skating category.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth explained the circumstances of the air crash, detailing that the Black Hawk military helicopter collided with the PSA Airlines plane arriving from Kansas at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington. Reports indicate that despite warnings from the control tower, the accident occurred, and authorities have confirmed that there are no survivors. Among the identified victims are skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as professional skater Inna Volyanskaya.
Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, an acclaimed couple in the 90s for their success in figure skating, moved to the United States years ago to focus on teaching. They were the parents of Maxim Naumov, who is also a professional skater and participated in the Figure Skating Championship in Wichita, achieving a prominent position. The tragedy has shocked the figure skating community and its followers, leaving a significant void in the sport.
