Some D.C. plane crash victims were affiliated with Philly and Delaware skating clubs, including ex-coach; no survivors believed

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons issued a statement Thursday night mourning the deaths of three people from Delaware who were killed in the crash involving an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter in Washington D.C.

“I’m devastated to hear the news that at least three Delawareans died during last night’s air collision," the senator from Delaware said.

"Sasha Kirsanov, Sean Kay, and Angela Yang went to Wichita to pursue their passion for figure skating. It is a tragedy that none of them returned home to our state," Coons said.

Two young members of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club were believed to be aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it crashed into the Potomac River, as was a former club coach.

"Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all of the victims of this horrific tragedy," University of Delaware president Dennis Assanis said in a statement.

The skaters were not University of Delaware students, but trained at the school's High Performance Training Center, Assanis said. Assanis did not identify the young skaters, but said the former coach who was aboard the flight was Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov.

Staffing was "not normal" in the air traffic control tower at Washington’s Reagan National Airport at the time of Wednesday's deadly crash.

That’s according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration that was obtained by The Associated Press.

The report says one air traffic controller was working two positions at the time of the crash.

A Delaware-based figure skating coach was among those killed in Wednesday night's deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C.

Alexandr Kirsanov, a Newark resident, was aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 after accompanying two students to a figure skating training camp in Wichita, Kansas, his wife, Natalya Gudin, confirmed to ABC News. Gudin, who is also a coach, said she last spoke to Kirsanov Wednesday afternoon ahead of the flight's boarding.

"I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends," Gudin said.

In a new statement, the Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society confirmed several people who died in Wednesday night’s airline crash were associated with the local group. 

“Sadly, one of the families lost just became members of our club and another shared his talent with us at our recent 175th Anniversary Gala,” the group said. “We share this loss and grief with the entire USFS Community.”

Though not all the victims’ names have been released as of publication time, news outlets have reported that at least a third of the flight was comprised of figure skating community members, including skaters and coaches from the Boston Skating Club.

President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned the actions of the army helicopter pilot and air traffic controller ahead of a deadly midair collision in Washington and quickly veered into politics to speculate that Democrats and diversity initiatives shared blame for the deaths of 67 people.

Speaking from the White House — just over three miles from the scene — Trump at points acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the nation to pray for the victims. But he moved nonetheless to assign blame, attack political opponents and unleash grievances about diversity initiatives.

“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,” Trump said. He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.”

In a new statement this morning, the Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society sent thoughts and prayers to those impacted by Wednesday night’s crash.

“We are devastated,” wrote the group, which is the oldest skating club in the country. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the passengers aboard the American Airlines flight that crashed in Washington, D.C.”

The flight returning from Wichita, Kansas, included several passengers who were part of the international figure skating community.

Michael Whitaker, who led the Federal Aviation Administration for a year, announced he would leave his post in December, shortly after Elon Musk demanded he quit.

Whitaker stepped down on Jan. 20, leaving President Donald Trump’s administration without a Senate-confirmed leader at the start of his term.

To date, the FAA’s website continues to list several key positions, including the director position, as vacant.

Following the commercial jet crash Wednesday evening, social media users have been quick to highlight an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week that placed a hiring freeze on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Critics claim the freeze could have impacted aviation safety and say the collision is an example of other swift ramifications to come from Trump’s policies. But is that accurate?

What was Trump’s FAA executive order?

A Philadelphia International Airport spokesperson said the airport wasn’t experiencing any major impacts from the crash in D.C. but that some schedule shifts should be expected.

“First and foremost, our thoughts are with all of those impacted by the tragic incident that took place last night,” said airport spokesperson Heather Redfern.

Redfern said PHL was experiencing one canceled flight from DCA and one delayed flight. PHL was experiencing two canceled flights to DCA.

Several figure skaters along with their coaches and loved ones were on the American Airlines jet that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter Wednesday night, according to U.S. Figure Skating, which released a statement about the crash Thursday morning.

Wichita, Kan., where the flight departed before heading to D.C.‘s Ronald Reagan National Airport, hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championship last week along with a training camp that wrapped this week.

Those who stayed the longest were among the best of the best, selected for international championships and staying an extra day to fine-tune their routines, according to news outlets.

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said officials have yet to record any survivors after an American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night. 

“At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” Donnelly said in a news conference Thursday morning. 

The American Airlines plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the Army helicopter was carrying three soldiers. Donnelly said rescuers have recovered 27 victims from the plane and one from the helicopter. 

An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. There were multiple fatalities, according to a person familiar with the matter, but the precise number of victims was unclear as rescue crews hunted for any survivors.

Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the Wednesday collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as dive teams scoured the site and helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in a methodical search for bodies.

The aircraft that collided Wednesday over the Potomac River near Washington D.C. was a Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine plane carrying 64 people and a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. It’s not clear yet how many people were killed.

Fatal crashes of commercial aircraft in the U.S. have become a rarity. The deadliest recent crash took place on Feb. 12, 2009 near Buffalo, New York.

That incident saw a Colgan Air Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane crashing into a house, killing everyone aboard including 45 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. Another person on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 50.