Figure Skating World Champions Killed In DC Plane Crash

Dozens are believed to be dead after a passenger flight with 64 people aboard collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night, crashing into the Potomac River. Two of the victims have been identified as Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former pairs figure skating world champions.

A U.S. Army UH-60 helicopter on a training exercise out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia crashed with a flight operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The cause of the crash remains under investigation but authorities said both aircraft were on normal flight patterns when they collided.

According to sources, Shishkova and Naumov won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships in Chiba, Japan. They competed twice in the Olympics. The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard the plane.

"Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed," Peskov said. "There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash."
The International Skating Union sent a statement saying it was deeply shocked and heartbroken.

More on the crash can be found here.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.