• An American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C, on Wednesday, Jan. 29
• Authorities the next morning said a search and rescue operation for the passengers on both flights had become a recovery operation
• There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the American Airlines plane, and three soldiers onboard the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter

As authorities search for answers about why an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, details about those who lost their lives in the tragedy are starting to emerge.

Just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., and the military aircraft crashed into each other as the plane was preparing to land at Reagan National Airport, just outside of Washington, D.C.

The fiery crash sent both aircrafts plummeting into the Potomac River.

There were 64 people onboard the plane — 60 passengers and four crew members — and three soldiers on the helicopter. Officials have repeatedly said that they do not believe there are any survivors.

Here’s what we know about the victims so far:

Figure Skaters

Fourteen U.S. figure skaters, including six members of The Skating Club of Boston, were on the American Airlines plane, CEO Doug Zeghibe announced at a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Six of the victims were from The Skating Club of Boston: teens Spencer Lane and Jinna Han; their mothers Christine Lane and Jin Han; and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

“If I had to describe the general feeling around here, it is grief. We all just saw these folks on Sunday. We’re never going to see them again,” Zeghibe tells PEOPLE. “There’s definitely shock, but more grief.”

Spencer, 16, of Rhode Island, was remembered as an “incredibly talented” skater who only recently joined the sport and was already “rocketing to the top,” Zeghibe said at the news conference. Spencer was recently crowned 2025 intermediate eastern sectionals champion and shared a TikTok video of himself skating in Wichita just hours before the crash.

Meanwhile, Christine, Spencer’s mom, was working to support her son, shuttling him to Massachusetts from Rhode Island and back to help him follow his dreams.

Jinna and Spencer were considered leaders by their peers, and both families were “very much embedded” in the local skating community — and Jin, Jinna’s mom, was “one of the most wonderful, pleasant, polite” members of the club, supportive of both her daughter and other members of the club, Zeghibe said.

Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55 were 1994 World Pairs’ Champions in figure skating. They joined The Skating Club of Boston in 2017 and were “very popular with families,” according to Zeghibe.

Members of the Wichita Community

In an emotional press conference on Thursday, Jan. 30, Wichita mayor Lily Wu said the city was grieving the loss of those who were killed in the crash.

“We have been told that there are no survivors,” Wu said. “We mourn with all those who have been impacted. This is a terrible tragedy that will unite those in Washington, D.C., and Wichita, Kansas, forever.”

Wu said the city did not yet know how many people from Wichita were on the flight.

On Thursday, the Wichita City Council hosted a prayer vigil at Wichita City Hall to mourn the victims of the crash.

U.S. Army Soldiers

There were three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter who were killed in the crash.

During a press conference with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, Jan. 30, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided a bit more information about the the soldiers, saying they were a “young Captain, a staff Sergeant and a CW2 Chief Warrant Officer.”

The three were on a routine annual retraining night flights on a standard corridor for a Continuity of Government mission,” he said.

The helicopter was from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Fort Belvoir, Va., Heather Chairez, a Joint Task Force North-National Capital Region spokesperson, told Military.com.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has confirmed that one of the individuals on board was Andrew Eaves.

“Mississippi is mourning the loss of Brooksville native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, who was killed in last night’s accident at Reagan National Airport,” Reeves wrote in a statement on social media.

Flight Crew

Ian Epstein was one of the flight attendants on board the American Airlines plane who died in the crash, according to a Facebook post shared by family. Those who knew him said the former Camping World employee “made everyone smile,” according to ABC affiliate WSOC-TV.

Danasia Elder was also a flight attendant on the jet. Speaking with WSOC-TV, her brother-in-law said she was “full of life,” and loved God, her two children, and travel.

Sam Lilley, 28, has been identified as one of two pilots onboard the American Airlines flight, according to FOX affiliate WAGA-TV. His father Tim Lilley said in a Facebook post that his son, who was engaged to be married this coming fall, was the flight’s First Officer.

Jonathan Campos, 34, of Ormond Beach, Fla., was the second pilot, according to his aunt, CBS affiliate WKMG-TV reported. His colleague told CNN that Campos became a captain for American Airlines in 2022.

Union Members

Four members of the Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters Local 602 and one member of the Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 5 were also killed in the crash, union officials confirmed to PEOPLE in an email.

“The entire United Association is grateful to the first responders who worked tirelessly through the night, and who will continue to investigate what happened,” UA General President Mark McManus and UA Local 602 Business Manager wrote in a statement. “Our focus now is on providing support and care to the families of our brothers as we continue to gather more information in the coming days.”

“We are heartbroken to share that we have learned another one of our Brothers was among the victims of the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash yesterday,” Gasfitters Local 5 Business Manager Terriea “T” Smalls wrote in another statement. “We are continuing to provide support and relief to our members and their families, and we will share more information as it becomes available. May they all rest in peace.”

Students and Parents from Virginia

Students and parents from the Fairfax Public Schools in Virginia were on the plane that crashed in the Potomac, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said in an email shared with PEOPLE.

“We are devastated by the tragic news as we learn members of our FCPS community have lost their lives in the accident last night at Reagan National Airport,” Reid wrote.

Many on the flight were returning from the figure skating event in Wichita, she wrote. “What we know at this time is that three of our FCPS students and six of our FCPS parents were lost, affecting multiple schools and departments here at FCPS.

“Two of the parents were current or former FCPS staff members,” Reid added. “Multiplying the grief are the siblings, spouses, relatives, friends and colleagues who have lost loved ones.”