Six members of a figure skating club, including two teenagers and two Russian former World Champions, are believed to be among the victims of the plane crash in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
Athletes, coaches and family members were on their way home from a National Development Camp, an event which followed the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, when their plane collided with a US Army helicopter.
Two of the teenagers onboard have been named as Spencer Lane, 16, and Jinna Han.
They were both members of the the Skating Club of Boston and were travelling with their mothers.
Their Russian coaches, married couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov who won the 1994 World Championships in pairs figure skating, have also been confirmed as dead by the Kremlin.
Inna Volyanskaya, a bronze medalist in pairs skating at the 1980 USSR Championships, was also among the passengers.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed their condolences, saying in a statement: "Bad news has come from Washington today. We are sorry. We offer our condolences to loved ones who lost our fellow citizens who died in this air crash."
He added that there were currently "no plans on contact at the highest level" on the matter between the US and Russia.
The passenger plane was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport to land when it crashed into a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training flight. Both planes landed in the nearby Potomac River.
In a press conference on Thursday, emergency responders confirmed they are carrying out a recovery rather than rescue operation.
DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said there are believed to be 'no survivors' from the crash.
'Our hearts are shattered': Trump says no survivors in Washington DC air crash
The US Figure Skating Championships were being held in Wichita from January 20 to January 26.️
US Figure Skating said in a statement: "US Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."
The international governing body for figure skating said the global skating community was "deeply shocked" and heartbroken to learn that figure skaters and those close to them were onboard.
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport - it's a close-knit family - and we stand together," the International Skating Union said in a statement.
And of course the asshole-in-chief is quick to try to shamelessly make political hay out of this
There have been many rumors going around about the Helocopter Pilot and Crew.
1. They were wearing Night Vision Goggles for Night Training. This limited their field of vision to pretty much straight ahead, when the plane was at their 8-clock. UNCONFIRMED.
2. Radio chatter with the Helo Pilot has the ATC asking if the Pilot sees the Airplane 3 times. The Pilot, each time, states he sees "the airplane" before it hits the helo in the side/rear. There is a lot of questions on WHICH airplane the pilot thought he was looking at, as it obviously was not the one the ATC was trying to warn him to avoid.
3. The plane was already Nose-Up for landing, and the helo was lower altitude than the plane. With the plane's nose-up, the pilots in the cockpit could not see the helo below them.
now, for the shitty bits.
1. Trump is blaming DEI for the wreck, with no rhyme or reason whatsoever for it. Because he's Trump and he's an idjit making political hay.
2. An Asshole on Reddit claims the Helo Co-pilot was Female, and thus the wreck was THE WOMAN'S FAULT. Even tho the pilot on the radio with ATC was male, and there's been no corresponding evidence there was any female military members on the Helo at this time. Welcome to Misogyny 101.
3. A former Army Helo Pilot got on Reddit Army page and lamblasted the Army for "Lack of flight training" for all their pilots. In a massive rant he claimed that the Army is not prioritizing Flight Hours, barely giving any pilot their full 80hrs in the pilot seat, while forcing pilots to spend all their time with "other duties" on the ground.
I have seen nothing more on this rant other than a copy of the originial post shared to SDN Discord, so I don't know if anyone has backed up his claim or what.
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Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
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All six people on board a medical transport jet and one person on the ground were killed after the plane crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood shortly after takeoff on Friday night.
The plane, which was carrying a child patient, her mother and four others crashed into a city neighbourhood, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, said "we cannot confirm any survivors" as Philadelphia’s Mayor Cherelle Parker confirmed the casualties at a press conference Saturday.
One person on the ground in a car was also killed and 19 people were injured. At least six people were taken to hospital following the crash.
It could be days, or more, until authorities are able to confirm the number of dead and injured, said Adam Thiel, the city's managing director.
It is “entirely possible” that there will be changes to the casualty figures, Thiel said. There are “a lot of unknowns” as to who was where on the streets of the neighborhood when the plane crashed.
All six people aboard the jet were from Mexico. In a statement on X, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her sympathy to the six Mexicans on board who died.
She said: "The consular authorities are in permanent contact with the family members; I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support everything that is required.
"My solidarity is with your loved ones and friends."
The child had been treated in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being transported home, according to Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold.
The flight’s final destination was to have been Tijuana after a stop in Missouri. The patient and her mother were on board along with four crew members.
The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall in a densely populated area.
Gold said this was a seasoned crew and everyone involved in these flights goes through rigorous training.
“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” Gold told The Associated Press.
“All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”
Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro said at a news conference on Friday that officials expected fatalities in the “awful aviation disaster.”
We know that there will be loss,” he added.
The plane was registered in Mexico where Jet Rescue is also based and has operations both there and in the US.
The crash came just two days after the deadliest US air disaster in a generation.
On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in midair in Washington DC, with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers.
There were no survivors.
The Philadelphia crash was the second fatal incident in 15 months for Jet Rescue.
In 2023, five crewmembers were killed when their plane overran a runway in the central Mexican state of Morelos and crashed into a hillside.
In Philadelphia, a doorbell camera captured video of the plane plunging in a streak of white and exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping mall and major roadway.
“All we heard was a loud roar and didn’t know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume,” said Jim Quinn, the owner of the doorbell camera.
The crash happened less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.
The Learjet 55 quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 pm and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters).
It was registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: “So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia.”
“More innocent souls lost,” he added. “Our people are totally engaged.”
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The NTSB said an investigator arrived and more officials would be there Saturday.
LadyTevar wrote: 2025-01-31 08:50pm
1. Trump is blaming DEI for the wreck, with no rhyme or reason whatsoever for it. Because he's Trump and he's an idjit making political hay.
2. An Asshole on Reddit claims the Helo Co-pilot was Female, and thus the wreck was THE WOMAN'S FAULT. Even tho the pilot on the radio with ATC was male, and there's been no corresponding evidence there was any female military members on the Helo at this time. Welcome to Misogyny 101.
3. A former Army Helo Pilot got on Reddit Army page and lamblasted the Army for "Lack of flight training" for all their pilots. In a massive rant he claimed that the Army is not prioritizing Flight Hours, barely giving any pilot their full 80hrs in the pilot seat, while forcing pilots to spend all their time with "other duties" on the ground.
WTF? What other duties on the ground? They gotta clean some toilets or something? I am Raw Shark and I will personally thank any female military helicoper pilot with my penis.
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