Tag: flight

Migrant flight architect to lead Florida’s immigration enforcement

The man who helped organize a planeload of illegal immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard during the Biden administration has been tapped to lead Florida’s new immigration enforcement board.

Larry Keefe, a longtime trial attorney who served previously as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “public safety czar” since 2021, will have $250 million at his discretion to help bolster the state’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Keefe was at the center of helping private contractor Vertol Systems Company earn a $1.5 million contract to fly dozens of mostly Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to the ritzy Massachusetts island in 2022. At the time, illegal crossings along the southern border were surging under the leadership of former President Joe Biden, with more than 2 million during FY 2022.

TRUMP GREENLIGHTS SOME PRO-IMMIGRANT MOVES AMID BROADER ANTI-MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

Larry Keefe, inset, was at the center of organizing a flight from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard amid a massive influx of illegal migrants into the U.S. under President Joe Biden. ( U.S. Department of Justice)

The new board that Keefe will be heading was created during a recent special legislative session, called by DeSantis last month, to advance efforts at implementing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

The group held an emergency meeting Monday, during which Attorney General James Uthmeier nominated Keefe to be the new board’s executive director just hours after being appointed himself by the governor.

“For several years, I had the pleasure of working alongside [Keefe] when he was the state’s public safety czar. In that position, Larry worked with law enforcement all across the state to spearhead interdiction efforts. He also helped us with executive actions to collect data and better understand the real harms and taxes that the state faces as a result of an influx of illegal immigrants,” Uthmeier said at Monday’s meeting. “He also helped organize some relocation flights that I think some of you might have heard about, including one to Martha’s Vineyard.”

Illegal immigrants arrive at Martha’s Vineyard Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Video provided to Fox News Digital)

Desantis said during Monday’s meeting that Keefe’s work on the migrant flights, in particular the one to Martha’s Vineyard, “changed the dynamic of the whole debate” from immigration simply being an issue for border states, to an issue for all states.

TOP FEDERAL AGENCY EXPOSED FOR SPENDING BILLIONS ON MIGRANTS IN A SINGLE YEAR

“They thought it was fine to have tens-of-thousands overrunning these border towns, but the minute you had 50 show up in Martha’s Vineyard, they had massive spasms about this. They called out the National Guard, they were doing a state of emergency,” Desantis said. “And then you started to see New York City and California and Chicago trips, and all of that I think helped bring this issue to a crescendo and resulted in the 2024 election.”

Immigrants gather with their belongings outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Sept. 14 on Martha’s Vineyard. (Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette via AP)

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Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ office and was directed to his comments during the Monday meeting and on social media. DeSantis said Keefe “is a great public servant” and “will do a fantastic job” leading the state’s immigration enforcement.

February 18, 2025

Airlines ask Trump admin to end review of payments for flight disruptions

Travel + Leisure Co. CEO Mike Brown reacts to the announcement on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

A trade group representing three major U.S. airlines is asking the Trump administration to abandon a review over whether they should be required to pay passengers compensation over flight disruptions.

Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) this week, Reuters reported.

The letter urged the Trump administration to end the review launched in December to take public comments on whether U.S. airlines should give cash as compensation for carrier-caused disruptions, as is done in the European Union and Canada.

“Airlines do not need further incentive to provide quality service,” the group wrote, according to Reuters, arguing that the DOT does not have the authority to do this, and that the requirement would drastically increase airlines’ costs – and ticket prices.

JETBLUE HIT WITH $2M FINE FOR CHRONIC FLIGHT DELAYS

An American Eagle Embraer ERJ 170-200 takes off at Los Angeles international Airport on July 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)

Last month, the DOT imposed a $2 million penalty on JetBlue Airways after a federal investigation revealed that it was “operating multiple chronically delayed flights.”

The DOT’s order required JetBlue to stop chronic flight delays., Of the $2 million penalty, half was to go directly to the U.S. Treasury, with the other half to be used to compensate passengers who were impacted by the chronically delayed flights or any future flight disruptions of three hours or more caused by JetBlue within the next year, the DOT said.

TRAVELING BY PLANE FOR THE HOLIDAYS? HOW AIRLINE REFUND RULES CAN HELP WHEN FLIGHTS ARE CANCELED, DELAYED

Several Delta Air Lines airplanes on a tarmac

Delta Air Lines planes are seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport on the July 4th weekend in Queens, New York City, U.S., July 2, 2022. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

The future compensation must be valued at a minimum of $75 for each harmed passenger, the DOT said.

Before the 2024 holiday season kicked off, the Biden administration’s new rules, which require automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights, took effect.

BIDEN ADMIN’S NEW AIRLINE RULES TO REQUIRE CASH REFUNDS FOR CANCELED FLIGHTS, FEES DISCLOSED UP FRONT

United Airlines airplanes proceed to a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in front of the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on January 27, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The new automatic refund rule, first laid out in April by the DOT, created a universal standard for when airline passengers on flights to, from or within the U.S. are owed refunds.

Prior to the rule taking effect, airlines set their own standards for what flight changes warranted a refund. Passengers then had to “navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request refunds owed to them,” the DOT said.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
DAL	DELTA AIR LINES INC.	64.75	-1.45	-2.19%
UAL	UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC.	103.31	-2.77	-2.61%
AAL	AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.	16.41	-0.21	-1.26%

The rule was established to “address persistent issues reported by airline passengers who were trying to obtain refunds they were owed,” the DOT said.

The International Air Transport Association representing airlines worldwide separately criticized the idea, saying required compensation programs “have become wealth transfer tools that have cost airlines billions of dollars without any meaningful reduction in flight disruptions.”

Travelers wheel luggage toward Spirit Airlines check-in desk at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Spirit Airlines said the idea is so extreme “it might encourage carriers to re-evaluate when they proceed with flights that should have been further delayed or canceled when potential safety related concerns exist.”

FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese and Reuters contributed to this report.

February 12, 2025

EasyJet flight lands in Greece after pilot collapses, causing midair fright

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Passengers were rattled during a recent international flight after an England-bound plane made an emergency stop in Greece over the weekend, citing a “medical emergency.”

EasyJet, a low-cost airline based in the United Kingdom, was operating a flight from Hurghada, Egypt, to Manchester on Feb. 8, when the plane’s pilot suddenly collapsed en route.

A passenger told the Manchester Evening News that the pilot collapsed around two hours into the flight. The travelers were initially unaware that the incident involved the pilot.

“At first we thought this may have been a passenger as nothing much was being said, other than the screams asking if anyone is medically trained, where a few passengers got up and assisted the cabin crew,” the passenger, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.

VIDEO SHOWS FLAMES SHOOTING FROM PLANE WING DURING SCARY LANDING

An EasyJet Airbus A320 passenger aircraft makes a final approach for landing at the runway of Athens International Airport in Greece. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The following call was from the cabin crew to advise this was the captain/pilot who was seeking medical attention and has fell unwell and we again would be further updated with what was going to happen,” the traveler added. “At this point, the passengers were starting to get rather worried and anxious, including myself, knowing that it was a pilot and not the passenger.”

“The ride began to get very rough and scary.”

EasyJet confirmed the incident in a statement to People, noting that the co-pilot was able to divert the flight and land safely in Athens.

“The first officer performed a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures and the aircraft was met by paramedics on arrival in Athens,” the spokesperson confirmed.

JETBLUE, SPIRIT AGREE TO TERMINATE MERGER OVER REGULATORY ISSUES

EasyJet apologized for the inconvenience caused by the incident. (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

EasyJet also apologized for the inconvenience caused by the incident, as the flight was delayed overnight.

“We did all possible to minimize the impact of the disruption and arranged hotel rooms and meals where available,” the statement said. “We would like to apologize to passengers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience and understanding.”

EasyJet made international headlines last year, when panicked passengers were forced to evacuate down a plane’s emergency slides after a vape pen explosion.

An Airbus A320-214 from EasyJet prepares for takeoff on the runway in Spain. (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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“I could smell and see smoke coming towards us from the front of the plane, so I asked my dad, ‘Is this protocol?’” a passenger told Storyful at the time. “Then, a girl ran down the aisle with a bag, with smoke out of it, and then there was a cracking noise, which was the sound of the flames, which caused panic.”

FOX Business reached out to EasyJet for comment.

FOX Business’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

February 11, 2025
Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl on supersonic flight without audible sonic boom

Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl, whose company is working to develop supersonic passenger aircraft, discuses how it is possible to fly at supersonic speeds without a sonic boom being audible on the ground below.

Boom Supersonic, a company working to develop passenger aircraft capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound, announced that its planes will be able to fly at supersonic speeds without the sonic boom being audible on the ground below.

The company says that it accomplished the feat during a test flight of its XB-1 aircraft late last month.

“During its historic first supersonic flight on January 28, 2025, Boom’s demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, broke the sound barrier three times without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground, demonstrating that quiet supersonic travel is possible,” the aviation company noted in a press release on Monday. “Specialized microphone arrays placed in strategic locations under the flight path confirmed that sonic booms did not reach the ground as XB-1 flew at a top speed of Mach 1.12.”

Fast flights sans the sonic boom sound on the ground are possible due to the concept known as “Mach cutoff,” Boom Supersonic’s founder and CEO Blake Scholl explained.

In a thread on X, Scholl said, “It’s actually well-known physics called Mach cutoff. When an aircraft breaks the sound barrier at a sufficiently high altitude, the boom refracts in the atmosphere and curls upward without reaching the ground. It makes a U-turn before anyone can hear it.”

BOOM SUPERSONIC XB-1 BREAKS SOUND BARRIER DURING TEST FLIGHT

Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl speaks to Fox News Digital on Feb. 10, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

“Just as a light ray bends as it goes through a glass of water, sound rays bend as they go through media with varying speeds of sound. Speed of sound varies with temperature… and temperature varies with altitude. With colder temperatures aloft, sonic booms bend upward,” he noted.

“This means that sonic booms can make a U-turn in the atmosphere without ever touching the ground. The height of the U varies—with the aircraft speed, with atmospheric temperature gradient, and with winds. So making this work requires tech not available in Concorde’s era,” he indicated on X.

Scholl suggested that this could be possible with speeds as fast as Mach 1.3.

“Top speed for Boomless Cruise varies with weather and can be as high as Mach 1.3—but will usually be between Mach 1.1 and Mach 1.2. At higher speeds, the geometry doesn’t work and a boom will still reach the ground,” he tweeted.

Scholl told Fox News Digital during an interview on Monday that the ability to consistently avoid audible sonic booms will be “very reliable.”

CRAZIEST AIR TRAVEL MOMENTS OF 2024

Top Gun graduate Brig. Gen. Jim Demarest discusses the role supersonic flight will play in the future of commercial aviation on ‘Varney & Co.’

While supersonic flight over land is not currently permitted, Scholl hopes that will change.

“Currently, all civil aircraft flights are prohibited from operating above Mach one speeds over land in the United States. Aircraft companies seeking to advance the testing of civil supersonic aircraft require a special flight authorization,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Scholl said that the president could issue an executive order directing the FAA to allow for supersonic flight over land as long as there is not an audible sonic boom.

Though frequent fliers may find the prospect of dramatically slashing their travel times exciting, they will have to keep waiting as the company works to develop its Overture passenger aircraft.

Scholl said the company will begin building the first Overture aircraft at its factory in North Carolina in around 18 months and the first one will “roll off the line” in around three years, with the goal for passengers to be able to buy tickets aboard the supersonic planes by the end of 2029.

UNITED AIRLINES FIRST US CARRIER TO RESUME SERVICE TO ISRAEL

FOX Business correspondent Grady Trimble speaks with Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl after the aviation company’s test flight on ‘Varney & Co.’

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“Overture’s order book stands at 130 aircraft, including orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines. Boom is working with Northrop Grumman for government and defense applications of Overture,” the company noted in its press release.

The company’s XB-1 aircraft is conducting its second supersonic test flight today.

February 10, 2025
US Marine identified as victim of surveillance flight that crashed in Philippines

The Marine who died alongside three defense contractors last Thursday when their surveillance flight crashed in the Philippines has been identified as Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, according to officials.

Last week, a Department of Defense-contracted aircraft went down in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur while “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

There were no survivors, officials said, who added that there were four personnel on the plane, including a U.S. military service member.

On Sunday, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command identified Durham as the Marine on the plane. The three contractors have not been identified.

US MILITARY SURVEILLANCE FLIGHT CRASHES IN PHILIPPINES, KILLING 4

Wreckage of an airplane is seen in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur province, Philippines. Officials say a U.S. military-contracted plane crashed, killing all four people on board, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Sam Mala/UGC via AP)

The California native was trained as an electronic intelligence/electromagnetic warfare analyst and assigned to the 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

In a press release, Indo-Pacific Command said Durham joined the Marine Corps in January 2021 and had just been promoted to his current rank on Feb. 1.

Durham earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Meritorious Mast and Naval Aircrew Insignia.

US MILITARY FLYING SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT FOR RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER WITH MEXICO

A U.S. military-contracted plane crashed in a rice field, killing all four people on board, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Sam Mala/UGC via AP)

“We mourn the loss of Sgt. Jacob Durham, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Lt. Col. Mabel B. Annunziata, commanding officer of 1st Radio Battalion. “Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps – exemplifying composure, intelligence, and selfless leadership. He was deeply respected and loved by his fellow Marines. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and his fellow Marines during this profoundly difficult time.”

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Marine Corps Beechcraft King Air 350, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

Military officials say the plane crashed during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.

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Officials added that the aircraft was providing surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance support for the ally nation.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 10, 2025
Noem reveals 2nd flight of ‘dangerous criminal aliens’ left for Gitmo ahead of her visit

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Friday that a second flight to Guantanamo Bay carrying “dangerous criminal aliens” had departed a day earlier – just as she is heading to the site where up to 30,000 migrants could eventually be held.

“A second flight of dangerous criminal aliens took off for Guantanamo Bay yesterday. ALL are known gang members from Venezuela,” she said on X.

She said that those on board included an immigrant who confessed to homicide and another wanted in Venezuela for escaping jail and for aggravated robbery with a weapon/intent to commit homicide.

FIRST 10 ‘HIGH THREAT’ ILLEGALS TO ARRIVE TO GUANTANAMO BAY ARE ALL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS

This image shows migrants boarding a military flight to Guantanamo Bay. (Department of Homeland Security)

Other crimes said to be committed by passengers include weapons trafficking, robbery, drug distribution, assault and impersonation fraud.

Fox News reported Thursday that DHS had said there were 13 Venezuelan men on the plane, some of whom are suspected members of Tren de Aragua.

The Thursday flight was the second after a similar flight on Tuesday. Noem will visit the Guantanamo Bay facility on Friday, when she will see the detention and processing center and have tours and briefings on the site.

President Donald Trump announced last week that he was instructing the Pentagon to prepare to hold 30,000 nationals at the military base.

MEXICAN TROOPS BEGIN ARRIVING AT US-MEXICO BORDER FOLLOWING DEAL MADE TO PAUSE TRUMP-APPROVED TARIFFS

Homeland Security Kristi Noem joins an ICE raid in New York City on Tuesday. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants. (Department of Homeland Security)

About 380 service members are supporting the holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday, adding that the number of service members will continue to fluctuate based on DHS requirements.

The Department of Defense (DOD) stated that these migrant criminals are being housed in vacant detention facilities. The DOD said that is only a temporary arrangement being made to “ensure the safe and secure detention of these individuals until they can be transported to their country of origin or other appropriate destination.”

DHS clarified that the Guantánamo Bay prison will be used to house only “the worst of the worst” criminals.

It is part of a broader mass deportation operation launched by the Trump administration on day one in office. President Trump declared a national emergency at the border and deployed the military to the border as part of a rapid-fire series of measures to crack down on illegal immigration.

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DHS has since taken a number of measures to free up ICE agents to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, and officers are frequently arresting over 1,000 a day.

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Fox News Digital reported on Thursday that any releases of illegal immigrants from ICE custody will now need the signature of the acting director, while the agency has also requested an apportionment of around $575 million from the Office of Management and Budget as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work quicker and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and 1 million removals a year.

Fox News’ Alexis McAdams, Peter Pinedo and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 7, 2025
US military surveillance flight crashes in Philippines, killing 4

A U.S. military service member and three defense contractors died Thursday in the Philippines after their surveillance flight crashed, officials say.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the aircraft contracted by the Department of Defense went down in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur and “was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies.”

“The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement to Fox News.

“We can confirm no survivors of the crash. There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors,” it added.

The wreckage of the plane in Maguindanao del Sur province, Philippines, following the crash on Thursday, Feb. 6. (Sam Mala/UGC via AP)

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The names of those involved are being withheld pending next of kin notification.

Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, told the Associated Press that she received reports that residents saw smoke coming from the plane and heard an explosion before the aircraft plummeted to the ground about half a mile from a cluster of farmhouses.

A water buffalo on the ground was also killed as a result of the plane crash, local officials said.

U.S. forces have been deployed in a Philippine military camp in the country’s south for decades to help provide advice and training to Filipino forces battling Muslim militants, the AP reported.

The region is the homeland of minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
Army sec nominee questions whether military pilots should do flight training near Washington airport

Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after Wednesday’s tragic Washington, D.C.-area collision.

“It’s an accident that seems to be preventable,” Driscoll, an Army veteran, said during a Thursday confirmation hearing at the Armed Services Committee.

“There are appropriate times to take risk and inappropriate times to take risk,” he said. “I think we need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be at an airport like Reagan.”

Sixty-four people were aboard the American Airlines flight inbound from Wichita, Kan., which collided with an Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter just before it was set to touch down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Authorities do not believe anyone survived.

BLACK HAWK CHOPPER UNIT WAS ON ANNUAL PROFICIENCY TRAINING FLIGHT, HEGSETH SAYS

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the three soldiers who were aboard the chopper were a “fairly experienced crew” doing a “required annual night evaluation.”

Dan. Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after the Jan. 29, 2025, Washington, D.C.-area flight collision. (Screenshot Pool)

“We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident,” he said.

In a blunt Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called the crash “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time,” Trump wrote. “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport near Washington. (EarthCam)

The following day emergency response units search the crash site of an American Airlines plane after it crashed on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Ronald Reagan Washington National, an airport owned by the federal government, has been the subject of debate for years. It has one of the shortest runways in the industry, yet Congress approved additional flight slots in 2024 as part of its Federal Aviation Administration bill. The flight from Wichita, Kan., had just been added in 2024.

The airport faces complicated aviation logistics near hyperprotected airspace near the Pentagon, White House and Capitol, but lawmakers have pushed to keep it open due to the convenience of its proximity to D.C.

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“We’re gonna have to work together to make sure that never happens again,” Driscoll said in his Thursday confirmation hearing, promising to take a hard look at what training was needed, particularly amid the Army’s increased use of its vertical lift aircraft.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight, according to air traffic control audio. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ” — apparently telling the chopper to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.

Military helicopters regularly cross over the D.C.-area airport’s flight paths to ferry senior government officials over the Potomac River into D.C. No senior officials were on board the downed Black Hawk, according to the Army.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

January 30, 2025
American figure skater says he was barred from flight that collided with Army helicopter

An American figure skater was barred from the American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan International Airport on Thursday night.

Jon Maravilla told Russia’s Sputnik he was not allowed on the flight because his dog was too big to board. He said he ultimately decided to make the 14-hour drive back from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C. He also mentioned the issue on his personal Instagram account.

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Rescue workers respond to the scene on the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

“Not allowed past gate to board flight,” he wrote in one post. “Get me tf out of Kansas please.”

He added, “14 hour journey begins.”

Maravilla told RIA Novosti that there were “about 14 figure skaters on the plane, not counting their parents and coaches,” according to The New York Times.

LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

Emergency lights are reflected in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Brandon)

“Such a tragedy,” he added.

At least 60 people were aboard the American Airlines flight.

U.S. Figure Skating did not confirm the number of members of its organization on the plane.

“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.,” the organization said. “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

Emergency service vehicles stand near the site of the crash after American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, outside Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

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“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 30, 2025
World champion Russian figure skaters aboard flight involved in midair collision, Kremlin says

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were a Russian figure skating pair who competed in multiple Olympic Games and medaled in multiple world championships.

The Kremlin said Thursday the figure skating stars were among those aboard an American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan International Airport on Wednesday night.

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Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were killed in a plane crash, the Kremlin said. (Reuters)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Shishkova and Naumov were on the plane.

“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” he said.

It was Naumov’s coach who introduced the pair in 1985, wanting them to work together despite Naumov rebuffing the idea at first. They began to work together in 1987 and competed and won bronze in the 1991 European Championships while representing the former Soviet Union. The pair would go on to win two more bronze and silver medals in the event.

LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

From left to right, in pairs are silver medalists Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia, gold medalists Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny of the Czech Republic, and bronze medalists Jenni Meno and Todd Sand of the United States. (Reuters)

Shishkova and Naumov earned accolades on the world stage as well. At the 1993 World Championships, the two earned a bronze medal. The following year in Chiba, Japan, the two picked up their first gold medal. They finished with a silver in 1995 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The pair competed in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. They finished in fifth in 1992 and fourth in 1994.

Shishkova and Naumov married in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1995, and they moved to Connecticut. They had a son, Maxim, who competed in men’s singles in the U.S.

German runner-ups in the pairs Mandy Wotzel, left, and Ingo Steuer (2nd L) with winners Evgenia Shishkova, right, and Vadim Naumov wave to fans in the awarding ceremony of the NHK Trophy Figure Skating Grand Prix in Nagoya, Japan. (Reuters)

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The Russian pair were listed as professional pairs coaches on the Skating Club of Boston’s website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 30, 2025