A Durham woman was recently identified as the third soldier killed in the tragic Washington, D.C., midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airliner. Capt. Rebecca Lobach was aboard the military helicopter during the catastrophic incident that occurred Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as confirmed by the U.S. Army. WRAL reported on the Army's acknowledgment of Capt. Lobach's involvement in the accident.
Authorities from the nation's capital announced that there were no survivors among the passengers and crew of both the flight and the helicopter. The Army extended "Our deepest condolences go out to her family, and all the families who are mourning the loss of their loved ones impacted by this devastating accident," according to a statement acquired by WCNC. They are actively coordinating with the families of the fallen soldiers and supporting the ongoing investigations.
The military also released the names of the other two soldiers who perished in the crash. The information was released a day after the two others, which included Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara of Georgia, who served as the crew chief, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves of Maryland, who was one of the pilots. The Army has yet to provide a specific reason for the delay in releasing Capt. Lobach's name. ABC11 included these details in their recent coverage of the crash aftermath.
In an unusual move, former President Donald Trump commented on the crash, conjecturing that the helicopter had flown at an inappropriate altitude. Moreover, he criticized the Federal Aviation Administration's diversity hiring practices, claiming that such measures had compromised the safety of flights. However, no evidence linking the FAA's diversity initiatives to the collision has been brought to light. This was noted by ABC11 in their report on the president's remarks and the broader context of the accident investigation.
