The US government, responsible for the worst plane crash in the last two decades » Several elite skaters lost their lives
Article by David Istrate – Published on Thursday, 18 December 2025, 22:35 / Updated on Thursday, 18 December 2025 22:42
The US government has taken partial responsibility for the worst air crash on US soil in two decades. Among the 67 people who died in the collision between an army helicopter and an airliner were skaters returning from the National Figure Skating Championships.
Less than 11 months ago, on January 29, near Washington, DC, the US capital, an accident occurred that shocked America. An airliner collided with a Black Hawk helicopter and both aircraft crashed, killing 67 people.
Government lawyers: “The United States admits it had a duty of care (…), which it breached”
Images of the collision were quickly shared on social media, with many people outraged and wondering how such an accident was possible. Among the victims was a group of young elite figure skaters returning from Wichita, Kansas, where the National Figure Skating Championships were held.
They lost their lives in the accident near the American capital Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, world champions in 1994who coached Jinna Han and Spencer Lane at the Boston Skating Club.
More than 10 months later, according to ESPN, the United States government admitted it was partially responsible for the crash because air traffic control violated visual separation procedures that night.
“The United States admits that it owed a duty of care to the plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby directly causing this tragi accidentc”, submitted the government's lawyers in a court document.
Early next year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will release a report that will include the causes of the crash. Both the airlines and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or military officials, as well as the pilots of the two aircraft, are suspected of negligence.
According to the aforementioned source, The NTSB stated that 85 incidents had been narrowly avoided in the last 3 years and yet the FAA took no action.
