Three service members aboard an Army Black Hawk helicopter are believed to have died Wednesday when their aircraft collided with a passenger jet near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
On Friday, the U.S. Army released information on the crew:
Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, is believed to be deceased pending positive identification.
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O’Hara began service as a UH-60 helicopter repairer in the Army in July of 2014.
The remains of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, have not yet been recovered. Eaves is therefore listed as on duty status — whereabouts unknown.
Eaves served in the U.S. Navy from August 2007 to September 2017. He became a UH-60 pilot for the regular Army in September 2017.
The identity of the third crewmember has been withheld at the request of their family. They are therefore also considered duty status — whereabouts unknown.
"Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time," said Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, commander of the Joint Task Force for the National Capital Region/ U.S. Army Military District of Washington. "Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident."
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Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation, said the helicopter crew had experience with navigating crowded Washington, D.C. airspace.
"Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them," Koizol said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
