A female Black Hawk pilot killed in a midair collision over Washington, D.C., remains unnamed as the Army honors her family's request for privacy; the Wednesday crash claimed the lives of 67 people, including three service members.
The Army formally identified two of the deceased soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, Friday. However, the name of the third victim, a female pilot, was withheld.
"At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time," said Army Public Affairs in a statement.
“Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time. Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the @NTSB, @FAA, and other investigative… pic.twitter.com/wyQ0WBaMKv
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) January 31, 2025
The unnamed pilot was highly experienced with over 500 hours of flight time, according to Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the Army's aviation directorate.
Eaves, the instructor pilot on the flight, had accumulated more than 1,000 hours, Koziol said, as reported by The Telegraph.
The catastrophic collision between the UH-60 Black Hawk and an American Airlines jet sent wreckage into the Potomac River. So far, the bodies of Eaves and the female pilot have not been recovered, according to Army officials. The investigation into the crash is ongoing, including whether the military aircraft was operating at an appropriate altitude.
"Both pilots had flown this specific route before at night—this wasn't something new to either one of them," Koziol said. His remarks dismissed President Trump's claims that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies played a role in the incident.
Update on Guantanamo Bay Operations and @SecDef Hegseth Addresses Tragic Mishap Involving US Army Helicopter pic.twitter.com/80J5djB4oP
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) January 30, 2025
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acknowledged the pilots' expertise as "fairly experienced."
Conspiracies about the crash are circulating online. One individual, who appears to be a service member, raised doubts about the official narrative.
"Under no circumstance is a military helicopter, especially a f***ing Black Hawk, going to accidentally crash into a commercial plane," the person said while noting the helicopter's call sign was designated as priority air transport.
"Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time. Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident," said Major General Trevor J. Bredenkamp in a statement.
