Fil-Am figure skater mourns teammates killed in DC plane crash
Jon Maravilla (3rd from right) with other junior champions of the US Nationals in figure skating. Photo from skating_university/Instagram
LOS ANGELES – Filipino American figure skater Jon Maravilla is mourning his teammates who were among those killed after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter collided and plummeted into the Potomac River in the Washington, DC, area Wednesday night.
Maravilla, a junior champion of the US Nationals in figure skating, has also set the record straight on false reports that went viral claiming he was barred from boarding the fatal flight departing Wichita, Kansas, due to the size of his dog.
Maravilla and his teammate, Saya Carpenter, placed third at the recent US Nationals figure skating championship for juniors and seniors, which was held in Wichita from Jan. 20 to 26. It was followed by a figure skating training camp for those competing for a spot on Team USA.
Fourteen members of the figure skating community – including Maravilla’s teammates – were among those killed in the plane crash, according to reports.
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Maravilla said he was denied access to a flight departing Wichita due to the size of his dog, but it was not the fatal American Airlines flight.
In an Instagram post, Maravilla wrote, “Hey guys just want to clarify, these stories are not true. I was flying to Detroit. I was not supposed to be on the DC flight.”
Mourning his teammates, he continued, “My heart goes out to the victims and I cannot believe this is real. I am still in shock…so many friends gone too soon. Rest easy to the victims.”
Photo from jon_maravillaa/Instagram
The US Figure Skating released a statement: “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. These athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.”
In his most recent posts, Maravilla paid tribute to his teammates, reposting a GoFundMe that was set up for the victims and their families.
“The funds will be distributed to the effective clubs of and from there used to help pay for funerals and or memorials for the lost,” the GoFundMe stated. “We are awaiting word from the Boston and DC clubs on how the families of the deceased would like to use the money raised. The more we raise the more help can be given individually. Otherwise the funds will be used towards memorials in the respective areas.”
As the bodies were being recovered, the Philippine National Police announced Thursday that Col. Pergentino N. Malabad was among the casualties.
The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and the US Army are investigating the crash.
