Maxim Naumov was not on the plane because he had already left the competition in Wichita and flown home earlier, so he had no reason to be on the later American Airlines flight that his parents took.

Quick Scoop: What Happened

  • Maxim had been competing at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
  • His parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were there as his coaches and then stayed on for additional training/camp activities.
  • Maxim finished his events and flew out of Wichita earlier, on a different flight, returning home with no need to remain for the development camp.
  • His parents later decided to switch to a different return flight — the American Airlines flight that ultimately collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac near Washington, D.C.

So the direct answer to “why was Maxim Naumov not on the plane” is:

  1. His own schedule meant he left Wichita sooner.
  1. He had no reason to stay for the additional camp, unlike his parents.
  1. The doomed flight was a later one his parents switched to at the last minute, a change they informed him about by phone/text.

How Maxim Described It

In interviews, Maxim said his mother let him know they were changing flights and asked if he could pick them up after they landed. He also mentioned that she normally contacts him as soon as they land, but that call never came after the crash, which is how he realized something was wrong.

He has called the last year the most difficult of his life and has dedicated multiple performances and tributes to his parents’ memory.

TL;DR:
He was not on the plane because he had already flown home earlier after finishing his competition, while his parents stayed longer and later switched onto the flight that crashed.

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