AP β The victims of a crash between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter included teen figure skaters returning from a national meet with their mothers and coaches, an Ohio college student coming from her grandfather's funeral, two Chinese nationals and a group of hunters headed back from a guided trip in Kansas.
They were among 60 travelers and four crew members on board the commercial flight late Wednesday when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter , which was carrying three soldiers.
Officials say there were no survivors. As the search for remains continued Thursday, communities grieved. Faith leaders held a vigil Thursday in the city council chambers. Paul AME Church. American Airlines set up a hotline as well as centers in Washington and Wichita for people searching for information about family members who may have been aboard the downed flight.
The hotline can be reached at In a statement, the Lane family recalled Christine Lane for both her singular talents and her dedication to parenting. Their coaches, Shishkova and Naumov, won the pairs title at the world championships in Chiba, Japan. The Russia-born pair also competed twice in the Olympics. Skating organizations in Philadelphia and the Washington area also said some of their young athletes had been aboard the plane.
Several athletes on the flight had attended a development camp held after the U. In Virginia's Loudoun County, a coach at a skating club was also identified as among the passengers, Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam confirmed. Cedarville University in Ohio said one of the passengers on the plane was Grace Maxwell, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. Maxwell's father, Dean Maxwell, said she was returning to campus from her home in Wichita, Kansas, after attending her grandfather's funeral, The Wichita Eagle reported.
