COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — U.S. Figure Skating confirmed through its social media channel that several of its members were aboard the American Airlines passenger jet that collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.
The organization is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
64 people onboard American Airlines Flight 5342 and three soldiers onboard the military helicopter were killed when the collision happened just before 9 p.m. ET as the regional jet was on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In its statement, U.S. Figure Skating said some of its athletes, coaches and family members were heading home from the National Development Camp, which took place in Wichita, Kansas.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," the organization said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."
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Here's what we know about the victims of the DC-area plane crash
Joy Weinberg, a former Team USA pair skater, said the incident has rocked the close community.
"Obviously it's, you know, a very tight-knit community. Once you're a part of it, you're always a part of that," she said.
Although Weinberg isn't a part of U.S. Figure Skating, she said the pain of the crash can be felt throughout the community.
"Even though I maybe didn't know some of them personally, [it's] very tragic. And I know when one person hurts in the skating community, everyone hurts with them because it's very tight-knit and close," she said. "A lot of us all know each other and have known each other for the majority of our lives."
In the difficult days ahead, Weinberg knows the community will be there for one another, especially for the victims' loved ones.
"I know that U.S. Figure Skating, along with international [athletes] at the ISU International Skating Union, will be there for its people in this time," she said.
- The brother of Denver7 Investigates' Natalie Chuck was supposed to board the American Airlines passenger jet after it landed at Reagan National Airport. Hear his experience in the video player below:
Rescue efforts in the Potomac River switched to recovery efforts on Thursday, all while investigators work to determine what caused the fatal collision.
Chad Kendall, an aviation professor at Metropolitan State University Denver and a former pilot, has flown into Reagan National Airport countless times.
"I've flown this airplane. I've landed at Reagan hundreds of times," Kendall said. "When you're coming in from the east and landing northbound, you go over the Potomac River and then track the river towards the north, and then air traffic control gives you a couple of options for which runway to land on."
Kendall told Denver7 that the Reagan airspace is an extremely busy one, and pilots who fly into it are required to have additional experience.
"You have, of course, Reagan traffic. You have Washington Dulles traffic. You have all the traffic in the Northeast Corridor," he said. "Washington Reagan is also a special qualifications airport for pilots. So even meeting the requirements to be hired as a pilot for that particular airline, you need additional experience as a pilot before you're allowed to land at Washington Reagan. These pilots were very qualified pilots going into Reagan."
According to reporting from multiple outlets, crews have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the American Airlines passenger jet. The National Transportation Safety Board plans to have a preliminary report on the mid-air collision within 30 days.
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