WASHINGTON, D.C. – We’re learning more about the passengers aboard an American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.
How many people were on board?
There were 64 total people aboard the flight -- 60 passengers and four crew members.
The plane collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter on Wednesday night, and officials fear there were no survivors.
There were three soldiers aboard the helicopter, officials said.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, on Thursday morning. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”
Where did flight come from?
The jet took off from Wichita, Kansas.
Officials said flight conditions were clear as it approached Ronald Reagan National Airport.
What do we know about passengers?
The Associated Press reports the passengers of the American Airlines flight included figure skaters returning from the United States Figure Skating championships in Wichita.
U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on the commercial flight after going to a development camp that followed the championships on Sunday.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
Russian coaches
Two of the people who were board the plane have been identified as Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Shishkova and Naumov are Russian coaches of the figure skaters, according to the AP.
They were pairs world champions at the 1994 championships in Chiba, Japan. They also competed twice in the Olympics.
The AP reports the Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard the plane.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed,” Peskov said. “There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash.”
The International Skating Union sent a statement saying it was deeply shocked and heartbroken.
