U.S. investigators looking into the collision of an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter, which killed 67 people, including at least four Russian-born figure skating coaches, have found the data recorders from the passenger jet.
The cockpit voice and flight data recorders — so-called black boxes — have been recovered from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane involved in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and taken to labs for evaluation, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman Peter Knudson said.
The NTSB said later on January 31 that the black box had also been recovered from the wreckage of the helicopter. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River after the collision. An official with the investigative team told a briefing there was a “high-level of confidence” that data would be recovered from the devices despite their time in the water.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told a news conference that it would take time to complete the investigation.
“We have substantial amounts of information. We need to verify information. We need to take our time to ensure it’s accurate,'” Homendy.
A preliminary report is expected within 30 days from the date of the accident, the NTSB said in a statement on its website. A probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will come in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months, the statement said.
Former Russian World Champion figure skaters Vadim Naumov and his wife, Evgenia Shishkova, were among those killed when the passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
The collision occurred just before 9 p.m. local time on January 29 as the passenger jet approached the airport to land. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that several Russian nationals were among the victims and said he had been in contact with Russian officials to offer condolences.
“Our hearts are shattered alongside yours,” Trump told the families of the people who died after opening a news conference at the White House with a moment of silence for the dead.
The American Airlines flight was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, where the U.S. Figure Skating Championships had been held from January 20-26. The competition was followed by a development camp for promising junior skaters.
The Skating Club of Boston, where Naumov and Shishkova had been coaching since 2017, said in a statement that the two Russian coaches, who won the pairs gold medal at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, were among six members of the club who died in the crash.
“Our sport and our club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” Skating Club of Boston Executive Director and CEO Doug Zeghibe said in a statement.
The pair, who also won the 1995-96 Champions Series final and competed in two Olympics, moved to the United States after they ended their skating careers, and became coaches.
Their 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, is a U.S. citizen who competes for the United States in international competitions. He placed fourth in the U.S. men’s nationals, held last week in Wichita, and was said to have flown to their home in the Boston area two days before the ill-fated flight his parents took.
In addition to Naumov and Shishkova, a least two other Russian-born coaches were on the flight.
Inna Volyanskaya, a skating coach in the Washington area, was on board the plane, U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (Democrat-Virginia) said on X, adding that it had been confirmed that none of the 67 people on the passenger jet survived.
Volyanskaya competed as a pairs skater for the Soviet Union in the 1980s. She coached young skaters at the Washington Figure Skating Club, according to the club’s website.
Another Russian coach, Alexandr Kirsanov, was on the plane, according to his wife, Natalya Gudin.
“I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends,” Gudin told ABC News.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on January 31 confirmed the deaths of Naumov, Shishkova, and Volyanskaya, while adding that a fourth person, thought to be Kirsanov, “may have a Russian passport.”
“Our embassy is in contact with the U.S. Department of State on these issues,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists in Moscow, adding that while the Russian Rmbassy in Washington has made inquiries, “we have not received any detailed answers so far.”
There also were two Chinese nationals on board the flight, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said without providing further information on the victims.
“The Chinese Embassy extends deepest condolences to all the victims and sympathies to the bereaved families,” an embassy statement said.
About 40 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River so far, including the body of one of the three U.S. Army soldiers on board the helicopter.
Experts said it appeared the plane was only 300 feet (91 meters) above ground and ready to land when it collided with the helicopter.
Prague-based Israeli pilot and flight instructor Michael Parkanski said it appeared that all correct procedures were being followed, which suggested the incident might have been caused by human error.
“To me, it seems like a pure human factor error,” he told RFE/RL. “It was a split second…. They lost their concentration, same as can happen to us on the road, when we lose our concentration for a split second, and then an accident happens. It’s a [great] pity, but in my opinion this is a pure human factor here.”
There were 60 passengers and four crew on board the Canadian-made twin-engine jet, which was found upside-down in three sections in the river at a relatively shallow depth. The helicopter wreckage was also found in the river.
Federal investigators will try to piece together the moments before the collision, including any communication between the two aircraft and air traffic controllers, as well as other pilot actions and the altitude of both aircraft.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, ABC News, and TASS
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