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.'.
![[Spiridonov cited 'Russian news outlets' who included him on a presumed passenger list]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/13/94682987-14342549-image-a-1_1738245004311.jpg)
Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members that collided with an Army helicopter was feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century. 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.'.
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. 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.
