A figure skater scheduled to fly on the doomed American Airlines flight was banned from boarding because his dog was too large to fit in a carrier.
Jon Maravilla was stopped from boarding the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC Thursday night, hours before it collided with an Army helicopter, Fox News reported.
"Not allowed past gate to board flight," Maravilla wrote in a post shared to his Instagram story. "Get me tf out of Kansas please."
After renting a car to make the drive to Washington, DC instead, the 19-year-old later added another update.
"14 hour journey begins," he wrote.
Dog saved his life: US Figure skater Jon Maravilla avoided boarding the ill-fated plane due to pet restrictions
— Sputnik Africa (@sputnik_africa) January 30, 2025
During check-in, the athlete was told that his dog was too large for a carrier, so Maravilla ultimately decided to travel by car.#planecrash pic.twitter.com/cqLHQruOqX
Maravilla stated there were "about 14 figure skaters on the plane, not counting their parents and coaches," including a married figure skating couple from Russia, according to the New York Times.
The tragic incident occurred while the plane was approaching Reagan National Airport.
Since the crash, the Coast Guard has retrieved at least 30 bodies. None of the airplane's 64 passengers, including four crew members, and three servicemen on the helicopter are expected to survive, Fox News reported.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
