Why US Army won’t publicly identify Black Hawk pilot killed in American Airline plane collision

Why US Army won’t publicly identify Black Hawk pilot killed in American Airline plane collision

The mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter is believed to have left 67 people dead. While the US Army disclosed the names of two of the military members who were onboard the helicopter, they won’t publicly identify the name of the third pilot.

On January 31, two days after the tragic crash, the US Army issued a statement on their website. They wrote that the United States Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed “while performing a training mission near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.”

Further, it explained that “the UH-60 helicopter from the 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Va., collided in midair with an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet Flight 5342 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.”

The U.S. Army has identified one of the military members involved in the crash as Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, from Lilburn, Georgia

The other pilot, whose body has not yet been recovered, therefore is duty status-whereabouts unknown (DUSTWUN), is identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland.

As of the third crew member of the US Army helicopter that plummeted into the Potomac River, the identity remains undisclosed at the request of the family.

“That pilot is also DUSTWUN,” the army said.

 

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