how did maxim naumov lose his parents

Maxim Naumov lost his parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia “Zhenya” Shishkova, in a tragic plane crash over Washington, D.C., in January 2025, when the commuter flight they were on collided mid‑air with a U.S. Army helicopter above the Potomac River.

How did Maxim Naumov lose his parents?

The accident itself

• In late January 2025, Maxim’s parents were passengers on a regional/commuter flight (reported as American Eagle/American Airlines Flight 5342 in several outlets) near Washington, D.C.

• The aircraft was involved in a mid‑air collision with a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River, leading to a catastrophic crash with no survivors on their flight.

• Reports state that more than 60 people were killed in the accident, including many members of the figure‑skating community traveling with them.

In short, Maxim Naumov lost both parents at the same time due to this single mid‑air collision and subsequent crash.

Where his parents were coming from and who they were

• Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were former world champion pair skaters who represented Russia in the 1990s before immigrating to the United States in 1998.

• They had transitioned into coaching in the U.S., including work with the Skating Club of Boston, and were returning from a skating‑related coaching or event trip when the crash happened (reported as from a coaching event in Wichita, Kansas).

• Their deaths came shortly after helping Maxim map out a new training strategy following his repeated fourth‑place finishes at U.S. Championships, making the timing especially painful but also deeply motivating for him.

Emotional impact on Maxim

• Maxim has described the period since the accident as the “most difficult year” of his life, saying he had to rebuild his support system and career after losing both his parents and primary coaches at once.

• In interviews, he has emphasized resilience, often recalling his father’s advice to “be resilient” and saying that he now skates with the strength and dedication of “three people” instead of one.

• He has honored his parents in emotional performances at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, World Championships, and during his qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics, often holding their photos and dedicating programs to them.

Why this is a trending topic now

• As of early 2026, Maxim’s story is widely covered because he qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics almost exactly one year after the crash, turning a year of grief into a breakthrough on the sport’s biggest stage.

• Major outlets, from national newspapers to TV features and Olympic coverage, are revisiting how he lost his parents and how he has transformed that loss into motivation on the ice.

TL;DR: Maxim Naumov’s parents, former world champion pair skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, died together in January 2025 when their commuter plane was involved in a mid‑air collision with a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board and leaving Maxim to continue his skating career while grieving and honoring their legacy.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.