No, figure skater didn't narrowly avoid being on doomed DC flight | Fact check
The claim: US figure skater Jon Maravilla was supposed to be on flight that crashed in DC
A Jan. 30 Threads post (direct link, archive link) claims a U.S. figure skater narrowly avoided being on the American Airlines flight that collided with a military helicopter in Washington.
“MIRACLE: U.S. figure skater Jon Maravilla arrived to board Flight 5342 which crashed last night, but he was turned away at the gate because his dog was too big,” reads the post. “Jon Maravilla posted on social media that (he) had to drive for what he thought was an inconvenient 14 hours, but those hours and his dog saved his life.”
It was reposted more than 300 times in a day. Other versions of the claim spread on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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Our rating: False
U.S. figure skater Jon Maravilla said on social media and in an interview that he was never scheduled to take the Washington-bound flight that crashed. His flight from Wichita, Kansas, was headed to Atlanta.
Outlets updated incorrect news reports on Maravilla
The claim came the day after an American Airlines regional jet arriving from Wichita collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, killing all 67 passengers and crew on the two aircraft. At least 10 figure skaters were aboard the commercial flight, including six from The Skating Club of Boston.
Outlets including The Daily Beast, the Daily Mail and People magazine reported Maravilla was prevented from boarding the fatal flight in Kansas because his dog was too large, citing the Russian state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti.
But contrary to the reports, Maravilla was never meant to be on the plane heading toward Washington. He posted an Instagram story on Jan. 30 that included a collage of such headlines along with a statement saying they were not accurate.
“Hey guys just want to clarify, these stories are not true, I was flying to detroit,” Maravilla wrote, going on to offer his condolences to the victims.
In context: Researching Trump’s statements about DEI, past administrations after DC crash
He said the same in an interview with The Daily Beast, which updated its story to report that Maravilla was flying to Atlanta before making a connecting flight to his final destination of Detroit. The Daily Mail and People Magazine also later corrected their stories.
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources
- The Daily Beast, Jan. 30, Viral Figure Skater Sets Record Straight on Missed Flight
- Jon Maravilla (archive), Jan. 30, Instagram story
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