The truth behind rumor DC crash Black Hawk co-pilot was this transgender servicewoman

A Black Hawk pilot was wrongly named as one of the three US Army personnel involved in the helicopter crash in Washington, DC.

Jo Ellis, 34, was falsely identified as the female co-pilot of the Black Hawk that collided with a plane on Wednesday night.

When contacted by DailyMail.com, Ellis confirmed she was alive and well. “I am very much alive,” she said. She added that the false rumors had shocked her and were disrespectful to the families of the 67 victims. The Pentagon is now preparing a statement to clear up the misinformation.

The actual female co-pilot of the helicopter has not been named. The other two soldiers on board were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves and Ryan O’Hara.

Reports say the Black Hawk helicopter was flying higher than usual when it collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 near Reagan National Airport around 9 PM. The impact caused a fireball explosion, and both aircraft fell into the icy Potomac River.

All three soldiers on the Black Hawk and the 60 passengers and four crew members on the plane did not survive. Investigators are still searching for answers, with 14 bodies still missing in the river as of Friday.

It was later revealed that only one air traffic controller was managing both plane and helicopter traffic at the time of the crash. This raised questions about safety procedures. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom has also questioned why the helicopter crossed the plane’s path.

Following the crash, former President Trump suggested that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies were to blame. This led some online users to wrongly accuse Jo Ellis as the pilot involved.

Ellis, who was homeschooled as a child, joined the military in 2009 as a helicopter mechanic in the Virginia National Guard. She later served in Iraq, Guatemala, and Kuwait, earning the Air Medal for valor.

In 2020, she was accepted into the Army’s flight training program and trained as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot. She said the pandemic and the demands of flight school made her reflect on personal struggles.

When she opened up to her military commanders in 2023, she said they were immediately supportive.

Just a day before the Reagan Airport crash, Ellis spoke in an interview about her 15 years of military service and her current role in the National Guard.

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