A young American figure skater was saved from the doomed American Airlines flight that collided with an army helicopter after he was excluded from the plane because his dog was too big.
Jon Maravilla is said to be one of the passengers on board flight 5342, who, after the Washington DC's collision, dived into the Potomac River of Washington with a Black Hawk -Helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. et Wednesday.
The figure skater told Ria Novosti that after he was told that he could not bring his dog on board, he decided to take a car instead.
Maravilla posted on Wednesday about the test on his Instagram story and wrote: 'Not allowed beyond the gate to board flight. Please get me from Kansas. '
In a follow -up post at 12:23 from the road he wrote: '14 -Hourr journey begins. '
The figure skater told Ria Novosti that there were at least 14 figure skaters on board the plane, as well as coaches and parents.
“I don't want to mention names,” he said, describing the incident as “such a tragedy.”
A large number of skaters had been in the Wichita area for the American figure skating championships, which were held last week in the Intrust Bank Arena of the city.
The American figure skater Jon Maravilla was planned for the passengers on board flight 5342, who after the Washington DC's collision in the Potomac River of Washington dived with a Black Hawk -Helikopter shortly before 9 p.m. et Wednesday
Maravilla posted on Wednesday about the test on his Instagram story and wrote: 'Not allowed beyond the gate to board flight. Please get me from Kansas. 'In a follow-up post at 12:23 of the road he wrote: '14-hour journey begins'
Surveillance images from the inside conquered the airport when the plane and the helicopter collided in the air
The national administrative body of the sport, the American figure skating, confirmed that 'various members of our skating community' were fleeing.
“These athletes, coaches and family members returned home from the National Development Camp in collaboration with the American figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas,” they said in a statement.
'We have been destroyed by this ineffable tragedy and keep the families of the victims closely in our hearts. We will continue to follow the situation and release more information as it becomes available. '
Among the figure skaters on board were married to Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56.
The couple won the world championship in couples of art skating in 1994.
All 60 passengers and four crew members on board the flight, as well as three people on the helicopter, are considered dead.
“Unfortunately we couldn't save anyone,” said Jack Potter, Chief Executive of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
With the Black Hawk -Helicopter, the plane was only 400 ft above the ground when the plane Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport approached shortly before 9 p.m.
Emergency Response Teams are seen at the place of the crash in the Potomac River
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in the US was the other plane involved in the collision
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov are reportedly on board the aircraft of the American Airlines that crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter
Transport secretary Sean Duffy called the crash to 'prevent'.
“I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area,” said Duffy.
'We are going to wait until all the information arrives from this vantage point, but … what I have seen so far, do I think this could be prevented? Absolute.'
Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, seemed to blame the Black Hawk pilot because he was in the wrong place.
“At the moment we don't know why the military plane came on the path of the PSA plane,” he said.
PSA Airlines is a regional subsidiary of AA that flies small aircraft on less used routes.
