Washington DC officials person named and pictured the 3 Black Hawk chopper pilots who died successful the deadly crash past week - 1 of whom has a White House connection.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, the aviator successful charge, main Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara, 28, and Captain Rebecca Lobach, 28, died alongside 64 passengers onboard American Airlines formation 5342 erstwhile the 2 craft collided supra Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport connected January 29. They were participating successful a grooming workout astatine astir 6pm that Wednesday erstwhile they crashed into the plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, arsenic it prepared to onshore aft travelling from Wichita, Kansas.
Details astir the tragic incidental were initially kept nether wraps arsenic Washington archetypal responders worked to retrieve clang victims' bodies from the Potomac river, wherever the twisted remains of some craft fell. Families and friends of the 3 pilots person present travel guardant and shared affectional tributes, and details of Captain Lobach's storied vocation - including her stint astatine the White House - person been made public.
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Facebook)While the US Army identified Officer Eaves and Sergeant O'Hara soon aft the crash, Captain Lobach's individuality was not made nationalist until a fewer days later. Officials released her sanction "at the petition of and successful coordination with" her family, members of whom remembered her arsenic a "bright prima successful each our lives" successful a connection released connected Saturday.
The "warrior", they said, "would not hesitate to support her state successful battle", and had enjoyed a astir six-year-long vocation arsenic an aviation officer, having served from July 2019 to January 2025. During those five-and-a-half years, she was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
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Getty Images)Notably, the Captain besides served a cardinal relation wrong the Biden administration, acting arsenic a White House adjutant for the erstwhile President during his tenure. She was pictured guiding manner fable Ralph Lauren arsenic helium was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a January ceremony, weeks earlier her daze death.
Family and friends of the different 2 pilots person remembered Officer Eaves and Sergeant O'Hara. Eaves' grieving widow Carrie revealed her hubby was 1 of the Blackhawk pilots past week successful a heartfelt connection pursuing the disaster. She said: "I americium definite by present each of you person heard the quality of the calamity that has occurred successful DC.
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Fox5DC)"My hubby was 1 of the pilots successful the Blackhawk. We inquire that you commune for our household and friends and for each the different families that are suffering today. We inquire for bid portion we grieve." O'Hara's household has been near "devastated" and "totally broken", his begetter said, with the sergeant having near down a woman and one-year-old son.
Altogether, the trio had astir 2,000 hours of formation acquisition combined, arsenic O'Hara had logged "hundreds" of hours, Captain Lobach much than 450, and Officer Eaves much than 1,000. It remains unclear what caused the crash.