Dancing On Ice’s Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean paid a tearful tribute to the victims, including figure skaters, killed in the Washington DC plane crash on Thursday.
60 passengers were killed when the Bombardier CRJ700 jet – flown by American Airlines regional subsidiary American Eagle – was struck by a Black Hawk helicopter on an Army training sortie.
Four crew members on the plane also died, alongside three service personnel on the chopper.
Skating stars, known as Torvill and Dean, expressed their sadness in an emotional post on X to pay their respects.
Torvill and Dean wrote: ‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of those on flight 5342 and extend our heartfelt condolences to their families and friends. May they rest in peace.’
The duo rose to fame when they won gold at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics with their iconic skate to Maurice Ravel’s Boléro – which is replicated each year by the Dancing On Ice finalists.
Dancing On Ice ‘s Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean paid a tearful tribute to the victims, including figure skaters, killed in the Washington DC plane crash on Thursday
The duo rose to fame when they won gold at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics with their iconic skate to Maurice Ravel’s Boléro – which is replicated each year by the Dancing On Ice finalists
Skating stars, known as Torvill and Dean, expressed their sadness in an emotional post on X to pay their respects
US figure skating has confirmed that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on board the flight, and had been returning home from the National Development Camp which is held in conjunction with the national championships.
‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.
‘We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available,’ the sport governing body said in a statement.
The collision happened at around 9 p.m. when a regional jet at the end of a flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training exercise, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
A few minutes before the jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked American Airlines Flight 5342 if it could do so on a shorter runway, and the pilots agreed.
Controllers cleared the jet to land and flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight.
The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying ‘PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ’ — apparently telling the copter to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.
Pictured: Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov , who were reportedly on the plane, with their son Maxim, 23, a prominent US figure skater
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac.
The passengers included figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and two of their Russian coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Other Russian nationals in addition to Shishkova and Naumov were also on the plane, according to the Kremlin. Coaches, skaters and others had been at the championships, which concluded Sunday, and a development camp.
Shishkova and Naumov were married and won a 1994 world championship in pairs figure skating.
The body of the plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, officials said. The helicopter’s wreckage was also found.
Authorities conducted a massive search-and-rescue operation that turned into a recovery mission.
Roughly 300 first responders were at the scene early Thursday. Inflatable boats were combing the river and first responders set up light towers along the shore to illuminate the area. Helicopters from law enforcement agencies throughout the region were also being used in the methodical search for bodies.
If everyone on board the plane did die, it would be the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years. At least 28 bodies had been pulled from the river’s icy waters as of mid-morning.
Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River for survivors after the deadly plane crash
New Secretary of transportation Sean Duffy said said the crash happened in a clear night. Both aircrafts were in a standard flight pattering when the tragedy occurred, he added.
‘Safety is our expectation. Everyone who flies in American skies expects safety… that didn’t happen last night,’ secretary Duffy said.
‘I know president Trump and his administration, we will not rest until we have answers.’
Duffy assured reporters the US still has ‘the safest airspace in the world.’
He said Duffy said the crash was preventable and alluded to early indicators about what happened, but did not elaborate as the crash is being investigated.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom also spoke at the press conference and said ‘at this point we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path’ of the passenger plane.
The mayor of Wichita, Lily Wu, was emotional as she spoke to reporters Thursday morning. She said they will share the victims’ identities after their families were informed.
American Airlines has set up centers in Washington and in Wichita, Kansas, for people seeking information about family members. There’s also a hotline for people looking for family and friends: 1-800 679 8215.
