Figure skaters’ ‘final words to their son’ before
Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, former Russian world champion figure skaters, tragically died in a midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C. on January 28, 2025. The couple, traveling back from the US Figure Skating Championships, had just spoken to their son, Maxim Naumov, 23, a Team USA skater, expressing pride in his fourth-place finish at the competition. Maxim, however, was not on the flight, having left Kansas earlier.
The plane, Flight 5342, was returning from the National Development Camp and carried several figure skaters, coaches, and family members. The collision occurred as the regional jet, with 60 passengers, approached Reagan National Airport. Tragically, both the plane and helicopter crashed into the Potomac River, with emergency response teams recovering wreckage.
