Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former world champion figure skaters, were on an American Airlines flight that tragically crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington. The couple, aged 53 and 56, won the World Figure Skating Championship in 1994. They were on Flight 5342, returning from the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.

Their son, Maxim Naumov, a 23-year-old Team USA skater, was not on the plane. A teammate confirmed Maxim left Wichita earlier in the week. US figure skating confirmed several skaters, coaches, and family members were on board. The passengers had been returning from a National Development Camp held alongside the championships.
“We are devastated by this tragedy,” the US governing body for figure skating said. The plane, a regional jet, collided midair with the US Army helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers on a training flight. Both the jet and helicopter crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.

American Airlines confirmed there were 60 passengers and four crew members on the flight. Shishkova and Naumov, originally from Leningrad, moved to the US in 1998 after their successful careers in the USSR and Russian national teams. They had been traveling with young skaters and were returning from the competition.
Maxim Naumov, who had placed fourth in the Wichita competition, was not on the flight. His teammate, Anton Spiridonov, confirmed that Maxim had left earlier in the week. “Maxim wasn’t on the flight,” Spiridonov said. He had gone through security with me in Kansas before departing.

Skating fans have posted tributes on social media for Maxim and his parents. The International Skating Union expressed its sorrow, saying, “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.”

Reports suggest that up to 15 people on the flight were connected to figure skating. Among them was former Soviet skater Inna Volyanskaya, who worked as a coach in Washington. There were no active Russian skaters on the flight, according to the Russian figure skating federation.

The crash left the plane in about seven feet of water, and the helicopter upside down. Images from the scene showed emergency crews working in the river.
