Month: February 2025

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The Army is refusing to name the female pilot killed aboard the military helicopter that collided with a passenger jet flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday.

In an announcement Friday, the Army, which disclosed the names of the two other soldiers in the chopper who died, said the woman’s family requested her identity be withheld from the public.

“At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time,” the Army Public Affairs wrote on their website.

The unidentified soldier was an experienced pilot with more than 500 hours of flying experience, the Telegraph reported, citing Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the army’s aviation directorate.

The Army on Friday formally identified Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, as the two other service members who were on the Black Hawk helicopter when it went down in the fiery crash into the Potomac River.

The bodies of Eaves and the female pilot have not yet been recovered, the Army said.

At a press conference Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the crew of the UH-60 Black Hawk crew “fairly experienced.”

Eaves, the instructor pilot on the flight, is reported to have logged more than 1,000 hours of flight time, Koziol said, according to the Telegraph.

Koziol further dismissed claims that DEI policies were to blame for the crash — something that was suggested by President Trump Thursday.

“Both pilots had flown this specific route before at night — this wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Koziol said.

Hegseth announced Thursday that the Army is investigating whether the Black Hawk was flying at an appropriate elevation.

The midair collision between the helicopter and an American Airlines jet claimed the lives of 67 people.

“Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time,” Major General Trevor J. Bredenkamp said in a statement, adding that