Russian citizens were on board the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane that crashed after colliding with a US military attack helicopter, White House President Donald Trump said. Washington is already in contact with Moscow and will help send the remains of the dead Russians to Russian Federation. For Trump, the plane crash was the first major test since the start of his second presidential term. Most of the Republican's ministerial nominees are still under consideration in the Senate. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for air traffic control, is also without a leader. About the consequences of the crash of the plane in the United States and about who was on board - in the material "Izvestia".
What is known about the airplane crash in Washington, DC
In the evening of January 29, a passenger plane Bombardier CRJ700 of American Airlines collided in the air with a military helicopter UH-60 Black Hawk on landing at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington. As a result, the airplane split in two and crashed into the Potomac River. There were 64 people on board the airliner, including 60 passengers and four crew members, and three soldiers in the helicopter. There are no survivors, US President Donald Trump said. He also confirmed the deaths of several Russian citizens on board and expressed his condolences.
A large-scale search and rescue operation continues at the crash site. US media reported that at least 30 bodies have been found so far. It is known that on board were 14 athletes returning home from the training camp of the U.S. Figure Skating Association in Wichita, Kansas. Six of them were members of the Boston Athletic Club, including two coaches - Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. They are also the 1994 World Pairs Figure Skating Champions with the Russian national team.
American figure skater John Maravilla said his dog was too heavy to carry and he was not allowed on the very same plane.
Law enforcement authorities have already launched an investigation. The media published part of the transcript of the helicopter pilots' conversations with air traffic controllers. From them it follows that the crew of the UH-60 Black Hawk did not respond to their warnings, after which the collision followed. At the same time, the helicopter was performing a scheduled night training flight, and it was operated by an experienced crew, said the head of the Pentagon Pete Hegseth.
The helicopter crew is likely to be to blame for the accident, Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, told Izvestia. He found himself in the path of the airplane, which was on its way to land according to all the rules, but to clarify the reasons it is necessary to restore the whole picture of what happened. It is important to note that flight safety in the United States is at a normal level, and no tendency to deterioration is not recorded. According to statistics, every ten years the situation improves, but of course no one can provide complete safety, Gusarov emphasized.
Which of the Russian athletes were on board
Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, are natives of St. Petersburg. In addition to gold at the 1994 World Cup, they received silver and bronze awards in the world championships in pairs skating, won one silver and four bronze medals at European championships, won the final of the Grand Prix of the International Skating Union in the 1995/96 season. After their athletic careers ended, Shishkova and Naumov moved to the United States and pursued coaching careers; according to some reports, both have American citizenship.
In addition to Shishkova and Naumov, according to media reports, the passengers include Inna Volyanskaya, a bronze medalist of the USSR championship in pairs skating. The 58-year-old figure skater performed in a pair with Valery Spiridonov. They won a bronze medal at the USSR Championship in 1980, won the Spartakiade of the Peoples of the USSR (1982) and the USSR Cup (1980). In recent years, she was a coach on the Ashburn Ice House team from Virginia.
Earlier, various lists of possible passengers from among skaters were published, but they were not confirmed. For example, figure skaters Alisa Timofeeva and Annabel Morozov are at home, said honored coach of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova in a conversation with Sport-Express.
How the disaster will affect Trump's positions
The plane crash came amid court battles over the new administration's policies. After his inauguration on January 20, Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing foreign aid programs and then issued an order to suspend funding for federal aid programs inside the United States. The Executive Office of Management and Budget then issued Memorandum M-25-13, which ends support for projects related to promoting inclusiveness, "critical racial theory," and combating climate change. All of these programs were promoted by the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Opponents of the new American president went to court, which suspended the memorandum until February 3. However, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt clarified that only the budget memorandum was canceled, and Trump's decrees on the funding of federal programs remain in force and will be strictly implemented. In addition, the Republican also intends to cut the staff of officials - 2 million federal workers have received an offer to resign with pay through the end of September.
Importantly, the Trump administration has now just begun to accept business and fulfill its responsibilities. Most of the Republican's Cabinet nominees are still under consideration in the Senate. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for air traffic, was also left without a leader. Its head Mike Whitaker left his post on January 20 - before that he had a conflict with SpaceX CEO Ilon Musk over the agency's control over rocket launches.
The plane crash in Washington will be the first test of strength for the new Trump administration. The Republican's attempt to crack down on bureaucracy by slashing federal funding and staffing has already led to lawsuits and management chaos. Democrats will use this fact, like the airplane crash, to prove Trump's inability to effectively govern the United States. They are likely to intensely criticize the investigation and the current administration's response, and blame it for the interagency mess, said Ivan Loshkarev, an associate professor of political theory at MGIMO.
But Republicans will also try to capitalize on the situation. In response to the Democrats' accusations, they may choose two lines of behavior. The first option is to emphasize the decline of air traffic control under the Biden administration and the underfunding of the airline industry. The second is to refer to the understaffing of the Air Force and, as a consequence, the incompetence of pilots, the expert believes. Trump has already started using these arguments, accusing the Obama and Biden administrations of lowering requirements for pilots.
It is worth noting that on the foreign policy circuit, the tragedy has not yet had a significant impact on Washington. At the moment, the international reaction is limited to condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy. For example, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that she supports the families of the victims and the American people. Russia also condoles with the plane crash over Washington, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. What happened remains more of a US domestic political event. No contacts between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have been planned yet, Peskov emphasized.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
