A transgender Army pilot has spoken out after being falsely identified as one of the victims in Wednesday's devastating collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and passenger plane in Washington DC.
Jo Ellis, 34, confirmed she is "very much alive" after social media posts wrongly claimed she was the female co-pilot aboard the military helicopter that crashed.
"I am shocked by these false rumours," Ellis told MailOnline, calling the claims "disrespectful to the families" of the 67 people who died when the Black Hawk collided with American Eagle flight 5342.
The Pentagon is preparing a statement to address the misinformation. The actual female co-pilot, who has not been named, was on a training sortie with Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves and Ryan O'Hara when the crash occurred near Reagan National Airport.
The helicopter was flying at an unusually high altitude when it struck the Bombardier CRJ-700 passenger jet shortly before 9pm on Wednesday. All three soldiers aboard and 64 people on the commercial flight were killed.
Ellis, who serves as a Black Hawk pilot in the National Guard, had given an interview about her military service just one day before the crash. A former helicopter mechanic, she completed flight training in 2020 and transitioned with her commanders' support in 2023.
Recovery efforts continue as investigators work to determine the cause of the crash, with 14 bodies still to be recovered from the Potomac River. Questions have emerged about air traffic control after it was revealed one controller had been sent home early, leaving a single person managing both aircraft types.
American Airlines' CEO has questioned why the military helicopter crossed the airliner's path as footage was released appearing to show the Black Hawk colliding with the plane's side.
