An American figure skater who was said to be among the victims of the Washington plane disaster has revealed he was never on board the flight in the first place.
Anton Spiridonov posted on Instagram on Thursday morning: ‘Russian news outlets have included me on a list of presumed people on the flight from Wichita to Washington D.C. I was not on this flight, thank you for everyone’s concern for my safety. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy.’
Everyone aboard an American Airlinesjet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members from Wichita Airport in Kansas that collided with an Army helicopter was feared dead.
It comes after Spencer Lane, a member of the US figure skating team, shared a photo from inside the doomed American Airlines plane shortly before it crashed.
The 26-year-old uploaded the photo around 7pm ET Wednesday, which appeared to show the jet taxiing on the runway at Wichita Airport in Kansas before it took off for its final flight.
He captioned it ICT -> DCA – the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Anton Spiridonov posted on Instagram he was not on the plane that crashed in Washington
Spiridonov cited ‘Russian news outlets’ who included him on a presumed passenger list
Other elite members of the American figure skating team who were expected at the next winter Olympics were also onboard the plane, a bombardier CRJ700.
They were returning home to the DC area after attending a National Development Camp for young skaters in Wichita, Kansas.
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Skhiskhkova and Vadim Naumov, who mentored Lane, are also believed to have been on the plane.
Their Team USA figure skater son Maxim 23, was at the Wichita camp although it is unclear if he was also on the fateful flight.
At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the midair collision Wednesday night when the helicopter apparently flew in the path of the jet as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.
Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years.
‘We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,’ said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital. ‘We don’t believe there are any survivors.’
There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S. and Russian figure skaters and others aboard, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.
Surveillance footage taken from inside the airport also captured the moment the two collided in midair
Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River for survivors after the deadly plane crash
Emergency response teams are seen at the scene of the crash in the Potomac River
The plane was being operated as an American Eagle Flight by PSA Airlines for its parent carrier American Airlines
Passengers on Wednesday’s flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims´ families closely in our hearts,’ U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
Two of those coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed twice in the Olympics.
The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.
The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.
Donnelly said first responders on Thursday were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles south of the airport.
More to follow.