Figure skater Jon Maravilla was denied boarding an American Airlines flight due to his dog’s size, but he was not on the ill-fated flight that crashed.
However, Maravilla told The Daily Beast that he was actually booked on a different itinerary with his Bichon Frisé, Yuki. His planned travel route included a Delta flight to Atlanta, followed by a transfer to Detroit. “I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I was just with them, watching them have lots of fun and just enjoying their time.”
The doomed flight, which was carrying 64 passengers and crew, collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.“Not allowed past gate to board flight. Get me out of Kansas, please,” he posted on Instagram along with an image from inside Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. Later, he posted that he had “a 14-hour ride ahead of him.”
RIA Novosti further reported that Maravilla mentioned at least 14 figure skaters, including coaches and parents, on the doomed flight.
Figure skater recalls heartbreaking moment realizing crash
Speaking to The Daily Beast, the figure skater confirmed that several of the East Coast’s most promising young skaters had been onboard. “I don’t want to name names,” he said, calling it “such a tragedy.”
Maravilla also recalled piecing together the spine-chilling news while sitting in a parking lot. He first heard about the crash through concerned friends who had reached out, fearing he was on the flight. He the realized the timing of the reported accident coincided with the Wichita-to-D.C. flight.
When his calls to passengers went unanswered, he contacted a fellow skater’s sister at approximately 9:20 p.m. — roughly 40 minutes after the crash. She was already in tears, confirming that her brother, mother, and father had been on the flight.
Maravilla shared that his 17-year-old brother is also a skater. He had trained and performed alongside many of the victims in the days leading up to the accident. One of those lost, Spencer Lane, had even swapped jackets with Maravilla’s brother before they parted ways in Wichita.
U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body of the sport, confirmed, “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.”
“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.”
