The International Skating Union expressed condolences over the plane crash in the US
The International Skating Union (ISU) released a statement on January 30 following the plane crash in Washington, DC.
"We are deeply shocked by the tragic incident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington last night. We are heartbroken to learn that among those on board were skaters, as well as their families, friends and coaches," reads the publication on the ISU website.
The International Skating Union said figure skating is not only a sport but also a close-knit family. It said it maintains close ties with the US Figure Skating Federation (US Figure Skating).
On the night of January 30, an American Airlines passenger plane and a Blackhawk military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. After the crash, they fell into the Potomac River. A total of 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane. There were three military personnel in the helicopter. NBC News reported that about 30 dead people were pulled out of the water.
Later it became known that on board the plane, preliminary, were eight skaters and four coaches. In particular, there was a bronze medalist of the USSR championship in pairs figure skating and former figure skater Inna Volyanskaya and world champions in figure skating Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that there were Russian citizens on the plane.
US President Donald Trump, in turn, called the airplane crash that occurred in Washington terrible. He said that the tragedy could have been avoided if the helicopter crew had changed course.
German pilot and aviation expert Peter Gatz said that the collision of the helicopter and the airplane could have happened because of the dispatcher's error. He noted that in such a large air harbor as Ronald Reagan National Airport, there is a control zone where the control tower makes all decisions about flight times and directions.
