One of the victims on the American Airlines regional passenger jet that collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was a young college student returning to school after attending her grandfather’s funeral.
Grace Maxwell, a 20-year-old Wichita, Kan. native, was on the Wednesday, Jan. 29 flight after attending her grandfather Charles Andrew Winter’s funeral in Kansas, her father, Dean Maxwell, told The Wichita Eagle. She was headed back to Cedarville University in Ohio, where she was studying biomedical engineering.
Grace was on the American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., that crashed into the military aircraft that sent both aircraft plummeting into the Potomac River just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
There were 64 people aboard 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.
Dean told the outlet that authorities have not contacted him about his daughter yet, and he does not know if she is among the 28 passengers who were recovered from the Potomac River. “We do know she was on the plane.”
He told The Wichita Eagle that he had spoken with the American Airlines’ Care Team a few times, who said they would contact him when they had information. The airline created a helpline for the passengers’ loved ones.
“If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215,” the airline said in a Wednesday statement.
Cedarville University told WLWT that Grace was a mechanical engineering major and set to graduate in 2026. The university’s president will address students about her death during an all-campus chapel program on Friday, Jan. 31.
“As you can imagine, the past 24 hours have been very difficult for the Maxwell family and the Cedarville University community. As a university, we do not desire to turn this tragic event into anything more than a way to honor Grace, her family, and Jesus,” a university spokesperson said in a statement to WLWT.
Dr. Tim Norman, who served as her secondary advisor, described Grace as a “quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering.”
Grace was not the only student who was on the flight. Three students and six parents from the Fairfax Public Schools in Virginia were also passengers, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said in an email shared with PEOPLE.
Fourteen U.S. figure skaters, including six members of 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 — were on the American Airlines plane. Figure Skating Club skaters, sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, 14 and 11, were also on the flight.
Four members of the Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters Local 602 and one member of the Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 5 unions were also killed in the crash.
Four flight attendants were on duty: Ian Epstein, 52; Danasia Elder, 34; Sam Lilley, 28; and Jonathan Campos, 34.
There were three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter who were killed in the crash, including Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves.
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A representative for Cedarville University did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Thursday.
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