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Three Fairfax County Public Schools students and six FCPS parents were among those killed in the midair collision outside Reagan National Airport, Superintendent Michelle Reid announced Thursday.

The loss reaches across multiple schools and departments. Two of the parents were current or former FCPS employees, Reid said.

All 64 people aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, and the three soldiers aboard a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter are believed to have died. The helicopter was conducting a training mission from Fort Belvoir when the aircraft collided and fell into the Potomac River.

Officials were still recovering and identifying victims Thursday. FCPS did not release their names, citing the privacy of the families involved.

Many passengers on the flight were figure skaters, coaches and relatives returning from a National Development Camp held alongside the 2025 Prevagen Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, U.S. Figure Skating confirmed.

The Skating Club of Northern Virginia, based at Fairfax Ice Arena on Pickett Road in Fairfax City, had members aboard the plane. Former Loudoun County Public Schools students and a coach from Ashburn Ice House were also among the passengers.

In a joint statement, the Skating Club of Northern Virginia and the Washington Figure Skating Club said the disaster had shaken the region’s skating community.

“As we continue to process this tragedy, we honor the memories of those who we have lost — their passion for the sport, the friendships they cultivated, and the joy they brought to the ice,” the clubs said.

Recovery and investigation continue

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collision with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Army. NTSB officials declined to speculate about a cause during an afternoon news conference as crews continued searching for victims and the aircrafts’ flight recorders.

Fairfax County emergency and public safety personnel joined the response through a mutual-aid agreement.

Officials in Fairfax County and Alexandria warned residents not to touch or remove wreckage that may wash ashore along the Potomac River. Anyone who finds an item that could be connected to recovery operations in the Potomac or Anacostia rivers should immediately call 911.

“Following this guidance is critical,” the Fairfax County Health Department said.

Schools mobilize crisis support

Crisis counselors and other support staff are available to FCPS students, employees and families, School Board Chair Karl Frisch said in a statement on behalf of the board.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Frisch said. “We join the nation and our students, educators, and families in grieving.”

Reid recognized principals, teachers, counselors and crisis teams responding throughout the school system. She also noted that the deaths affect siblings, spouses, relatives, friends and colleagues across the community.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said Fairfax County would work with regional partners, school leaders and public safety officials to provide counseling and other assistance to victims’ families, first responders and residents affected by the disaster.

“Now, more than ever, we must stand together as a community,” McKay said. “In these difficult days ahead, let’s continue to support one another.”