Among the passengers on board the American Airlines Flight 5342 were six members of the figure skating group.
The plane that was flying from Wichita, Kansas to Washington DC. crashed at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday night and plummeted into the icy Potomac river.
It was reported that it carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, also involved in the crash, carried three members of the military.
Daily Mail reported that everyone abroad is feared dead at this point.
Spencer Lane, a figure skater involved in the deadly plane crash, documented his trip from the National Development Camp he and the rest of the members were returning from.
The young man’s final post on Instagram showed a photo from inside the plane with the caption, “ICT -> DCA,” codes standing for Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Reagan National.
The names of the rest of the members of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, were announced by the club.
They are: Jinna Han, Jin Han, Spencer Lane, Christine Lane, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.
Naumov and Shishkova won the World Figure Skating Championship in pairs in 1994. Their son was also part of the skating camp, but it has not yet been revealed whether he was among the passengers on the tragic flight.
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Doug Zeghibe, the head of the skating club, released a statement about its members, who are believed to be aboard.
“Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy.
“Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family.
“Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.”
John Donnelly, Washington, DC’s fire and emergency services chief, said, “Despite their efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we do not believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
According to a statement shared on X by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was approaching Runway 33 at the airport when it collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter in mid-air. “PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines,” the FAA added.
According to President Trump’s first statement, the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional plane was making a regular and accurate approach to the airport.
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane [sic],” Trump’s statement added.
In an interview with TV host Sean Hannity, Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, emphasized the seriousness of this crash.
“I can confirm that President Trump has been made aware of the situation, and tragically, it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet at DCA airport right here in Washington, D.C.,” Leavitt said.
“That’s all I can confirm at this point in time, and I can just say that the thoughts and the prayers of the entire Trump administration are with all those that are involved, and we ask the public in this area to please stand by for guidance from law enforcement and allow them to do their jobs as they attempt to save lives right now.”
Our thoughts and prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones in this horrific plane crash.
