US passenger jet carrying renowned Russian skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, crashed after colliding with a military helicopter, find out more about them, their age, son and the incident below
The crash took place near Washington DC, with rescue teams searching the Potomac River area for wreckage.
Passengers on the flight included ice skaters, family and coaches returning from events in Wichita, Kansas, including Russian-born former world champion skaters, couple Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Russia’s Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters, many of them the children of Russian emigres to the U.S., who it said were believed to have been on the plane and the Kremlin offered condolences to the families of Russians killed.
Who are Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov as Russian skaters and coach die in American Airlines plane and Black Hawk Army helicopter crash in Washington, bio, age, nationality and son
“We have been told that there are no survivors. We mourn with all those who have been impacted,” Wichita mayor Lily Wu said. The mid-air collision occurred as the passenger jet was approaching to land at Reagan and radio communications showed the helicopter crew knew the plane was in the vicinity.
Both the helicopter and the airplane had been flying standard flight patterns, and there had been no breakdown in communication.
Who are Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov world champion Russian skater couple who were onboard Washington DC plane that crashed
RIP: Russian world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the passengers on the doomed American Airlines crash in D.C. pic.twitter.com/QhA5KCAFj2
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 30, 2025
According to reports, the plane was carrying about 60 passengers onboard, including the two famous skaters.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov involved in plane crash
Renowned Russian ice skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were recently on board a US passenger jet that fatally crashed in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. According to Russian news outlets, the world champion couple were among the 60 passengers that passed away from the crash which killed a total of 67 people.
While approaching Reagan National Airport, the American Airlines Group Inc. regional aircraft collided midair with a military helicopter on Wednesday evening and crashed into the river near Washington, DC. On Thursday, rescue boats were spotted searching through the waters of the Potomac River for the wreckage of the plane. The plane Flight 5342, carrying 4 crew members besides the passengers, initially departed from Wichita, Kansas.
While in flight, the plane reportedly struck a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying three military personnel on board. Following the crash, search and rescue officials failed to retrieve any survivors despite their prompt response. Meanwhile, US Figure Skating informed me that members of the US figure skating community were also onboard. The skaters were reportedly returning from the national championships in Wichita.
One of my favorite pairs programs in my early days of figure skating fandom – Evgenia Shishkova/Vadim Naumov were playful in their musicality, original in their lifts, and phenomenal in their line. They won 1994 Worlds with this fun free skate pic.twitter.com/FU4f2d8y3n
— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) March 8, 2023
Authorities reported that the tragic collision occurred in clear weather conditions. Newly elected US President Donald Trump also stated in post:
The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn.”
Evgenia Shishkova bio
The two Russian figure skating coaches killed in the American Airlines crash were two-time Olympians and former world champions in the pairs event and were married couple with a son who finished fourth last week at the U.S. national championships in Wichita, Kansas but their son was not on the same flight.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov won a world championship title together in pairs skating in 1994 and narrowly missed out on Olympic medals that year at the Lillehammer Games before moving to the U.S. and coaching generations of young skaters in New England and after their son Maxim Naumov skated at the national championships, the 52-year-old Shishkova and her 55-year-old husband stayed in Wichita for a development camp for some of the most promising young skaters in the country.
One of their top students was their own son, who won the U.S. junior men’s title in 2020 and was named last week on the U.S. team to compete at next month’s Four Continents Championships in South Korea and as an alternate for the world championships in Boston in March.
Evgenia Vasilievna Shishkova was a famous Russian figure skating coach and a former competitor. She was born on December 18, 1972, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and recently passed away on January 29, 2025. Evgenia was 52 years old at the time of her passing.
She was married to her ice skating partner, Vadim Naumov, who also passed away alongside her in a plane crash. The couple married in 1995 and have a son named Maxim Naumov. Evgenia and her husband, Vadim Naumov, won the 1994 World Championship as well as the 1995–96 Champions Series Final.
Vadim Naumov bio
Vadim Vladimirovich Naumov was a famous Russian pair skater who was born on April 7, 1969, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He recently passed away on January 29, 2025, alongside his wife Evgenia in a plane crash. Vadim was 55 years old at the time of his death. Alongside his wife, Vadim won the 1994 World Championship and the 1995-96 Champions Series Finals.