Russian Skating Stars Perish in Potomac Collision

The 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision between a regional jet and a military helicopter killed all aboard both aircraft, including several former Russian figure skating champions. Among the victims were pair skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, along with coaches Inna Volyanskaya and ice dancer Alexandr Kirsanov. The loss devastated the international figure skating community and reignited debates about air traffic control procedures near Washington's Reagan National Airport. The collision occurred on January 29, 2025, when a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet approaching Reagan National Airport struck a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter during its final approach. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. All 64 people aboard the regional jet and three soldiers aboard the helicopter were killed. The Russian skating figures aboard had been returning from a training camp. Naumov and Shishkova were 1994 World Pair Skating champions who had been coaching in the United States. The collision raised immediate questions about the volume of military helicopter traffic in the restricted airspace around Washington, D.C., and the adequacy of air traffic control staffing at Reagan National, one of the nation's busiest airports. Preliminary investigations focused on whether the helicopter was operating at its assigned altitude and whether controllers provided adequate separation between military and civilian traffic. The disaster drew comparisons to the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash into the Potomac River, which had killed 78 people and led to major reforms in winter weather operations at the airport. Reagan National's proximity to the Potomac, the National Mall, and the Pentagon makes its airspace among the most congested and security-sensitive in the world.