Authorities Say They ‘Don’t Believe There Are Any Survivors’ Expected from American Airlines Crash Over Washington D.C.

• An American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C on Wednesday, Jan. 29 evening
• On the morning of Thursday Jan. 30, authorities said a search and rescue operation for the passengers on both flights has now been turned to 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

Authorities say the outlook is grim in finding any survivors from the American Airlines plane that collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

During a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 30, Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said that they were switching from a “search and rescue operation” for the passengers on both flights to a “recovery” operation.

“At this point we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” Donnelly said. “We have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter.”

“The District Office of the Medical Examiner has led on reuniting these bodies and these people with their loved ones and we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones,” he added.

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the jet, according to a statement from American Airlines. There were also three soldiers onboard the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, an U.S. Army official confirmed to CNN.

Among those on the American Airlines flight were 1994 pairs figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, according to reports from Reuters and The Guardian, citing the TASS and RIA news agencies in Russia. Per the outlets, the couple helped to train young ice skaters.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE there were “several members” of the U.S. Figure Skating team onboard the plane as well.

“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the governing body added.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available,” the statement concluded.

The FAA said in a statement to PEOPLE that a “PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, per Associated Press, that when the collision happened, it was a clear night and standard flight pattern. He added that it was not unusual to have passenger aircraft and military aircraft in the air space near Reagan National Airport at the same time.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash. In the meantime, Reagan National Airport — one of the largest airports in the country — announced that it would remain closed until at least 11 a.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 30.

“Not only is it (one of) the busiest, it’s the most complex airport,” David Soucie, CNN Safety Analyst, said of Reagan. “There’s military and commercial together. There’s flight restrictions on where you can fly, what kind of approaches you have to make, and there’s demands on how quickly those airplanes have to come in and out.”

In a video statement shared on the airline’s website, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed “our deep sorrow about these events.” He continued, in part, “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”