There was this report going around saying that Jon Maravilla, a figure skater, missed a flight because his dog was too big to fly. Pretty wild, but Maravilla came forward to clear things up. It wasn’t American Airlines he was supposed to fly with — and he was actually headed to Atlanta, not Washington.
Here’s what really went down and how Maravilla wasn’t involved in the tragic crash that happened soon after.
Viral report distorts facts about Maravilla’s flight plans
The story that went viral said Jon couldn’t board his flight because his dog was too big. But that’s not even the right flight. He was never booked on the doomed American Airlines flight.
Maravilla was headed to Atlanta
Jon himself said the reason he got denied boarding was because of his dog’s size. But here’s the important part — it was a Delta flight to Atlanta, not Washington, as some reports had indicated.
Contradiction with Russian media’s misleading claims
Apparently, Russian news outlets had it all wrong. RIA Novosti, for example, claimed Jon couldn’t fly from Wichita to Washington because of his dog’s size, and then they said he had to drive. That’s not what happened. Jon was just trying to get on his flight to Atlanta.
Jon’s originally from Virginia but now lives in the Midwest
He was actually heading to Atlanta first, and then he was going to catch another flight to Detroit. Nothing about Washington or American Airlines. Just a simple connecting flight.
The tragedy: A collision that shook the figure skating world
Then, the real tragedy happened. A flight bound for D.C., carrying 64 people, collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport. It happened around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
Maravilla documented his denied boarding
Jon shared what happened on Instagram. He posted a picture from the Wichita airport showing that he couldn’t board his flight, and the caption read: “Not allowed past gate to board flight. Get me out of Kansas, please.”
Maravilla’s long drive after being denied boarding
After he got turned away, Jon started driving. He posted another update later, saying he had a 14-hour drive ahead of him. That’s a lot of time on the road!
He learns of the tragedy and the loss of his friends
And while Jon was dealing with all of this, he learned that many of his friends were actually on that doomed flight. He told the Daily Beast that many of the top up-and-coming figure skaters from the East Coast were on board. He didn’t want to name names, but he called it “such a tragedy.”
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How Maravilla realized his friends were on the doomed flight
It wasn’t until later that Jon started putting the pieces together. He was in a parking lot when he first heard about the crash. People were reaching out to him, worried he might’ve been on the flight.
As he looked into it, he realized the timing matched up with when the flight was passing through the D.C. area. He tried calling people on the plane, but the calls wouldn’t go through. Then, he called one of the skater’s sisters, and she was already sobbing. That’s when he knew.
The devastating personal impact on Maravilla’s family
Jon’s younger brother, who also skates, also took the loss really hard. The two of them had just spent the week training with many of the people who were on that flight.
Jon’s brother even swapped jackets with one of the victims, Spencer Lane, just before they parted ways in Wichita. It left them both deeply shaken.
Our hearts go out to the families affected by this heartbreaking tragedy. Wishing them strength and comfort as they navigate this unimaginable loss.
