Figure skater Maxim Naumov is reflecting on his parents’ deaths one year after they were killed in the mid-air collision above the Potomac River.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s already been one full year. The most difficult year of my entire life,” Maxim, 24, wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of his mom, Evgenia Shishkova, and dad, Vadim Naumov, on Thursday, January 29. “I still find myself waking up some days and just wondering why? How could this all have happened? For what reason? Why were they taken away from me so soon?”
Maxim continued, “Unfortunately, there are always more questions than answers. But, despite all of that I get ready, put on my coat and head out the door. Every. Single. Day. Because I have a job to do. I am quickly reminded of the goal we set out to achieve when I was 5 years old. Together. As a family.”
The athlete, who was named to Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics following the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in early January, added, “Now, 19 years later, we are here. We did it.”
Maxim concluded, “Мама и Папа, I love and miss you with all of my heart. Both of you have always been my superheroes. And now, you really are flying over me and protecting me. I pray that you are at peace. May god bless your hearts.”
Vadim, 55, and Evgenia, 52, who were the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs for Russia, were passengers onboard American Eagle Flight 5342 when the plane collided with a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter in mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The crash was the deadliest on American soil in more than two decades.
Fourteen young figure skaters, their parents and coaches were among the 67 passengers aboard the flight, as they were on their way back from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov performing in 1994 Chris Cole/ALLSPORT
In a December 2025 response to a lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims, the U.S. government admitted that it believes the actions of air traffic controllers and Army helicopter pilots played a role in the collision.
Three days before the crash, Vadim and Evgenia took to Instagram to express how proud they were of their son.
“Once again, Maxim made us all proud, getting on to the podium at Nationals after 7th place in the short,” the couple wrote. “This beautiful and emotional performance is a result of [teamwork]. Huge thanks to Serhii and Irina Vaypan and of course to Adam Blake for his wonderful choreography of a classic! Maxim has earned his place in the team of 4 Continents. 👏🏻👍🏻💪🏻.”
Figure skater Maxim Naumov is headed to the Olympics, almost one year after losing both his parents in the 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Naumov, 24, qualified by finishing third at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis on Sunday, January 11. “I thought of them immediately,” Naumov […]
Maxim, who had departed from Wichita a few days before the crash, said during a March 2025 Today interview that his mom called him before her death.
“It was actually the last thing that they said,” he said. “It was actually my mom that called me, and she said, ‘Hey, I just want you to know that we love you and we’re proud of you.’ It means everything to me. I mean, my whole life, a part of it was to make them proud.”
