On 31st January, a Virginia-based Army National Guard helicopter pilot, Jo Ellis, broke her silence after she was falsely identified as the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed over the Potomac River near Washington DC. The crash involved a midair collision with American Airlines Flight 5342, resulting in the deaths of at least 67 people.
JUST RELEASED VIDEO OF JO ELLIS ALIVE!
— American Citizen
Rumors that Jo Ellis was the pilot in the DC crash are FALSE. Let's get the facts straight and stop spreading misinformation. pic.twitter.com/QgjOIB0RLe(@realtalkstruth) January 31, 2025
Social media uproar and false claims
Following the incident, social media posts on X claimed that one of the pilots of the helicopter that crashed into the plane was transgender, Jo Ellis, and accused her of being responsible for the tragedy. The post further alleged that Ellis had attempted to target three other passenger planes before finally hitting the American Airlines flight. The post gained traction not only on X but its screenshots were widely shared on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
With Ellis being accused of the tragedy, hirings under diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes came under severe scrutiny. Social media users accused the military of compromising safety by hiring personnel through DEI programmes. The accusations gained traction among supporters of President Donald Trump, who had recently imposed a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.
Jo Ellis addresses false accusations
Responding to the accusations online, Ellis took to Facebook and posted a video message stating she was not involved in the crash. She said, “I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C. and that is false.” She added, “It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve this.”
Pentagon releases names of all three pilots
The Department of Defense has confirmed the identities of two of the three US Army soldiers who were on the helicopter at the time of the tragedy as Ryan O’Hara and Sam Lilley. The third pilot, in fact, was Rebecca M Lobach, who was flying the helicopter. The name, which was withheld previously, was revealed after the US Army coordinated with the pilot’s family. Captain Rebecca M Lobach enlisted in the service in July 2019. She had more than 450 hours of flight time during her service history. She was also the White House social aide in the previous government under Joe Biden.
Army releases name of co-pilot of Blackhawk helicopter: Captain Rebecca Lobach, a star ROTC student who graduated from UNC with top honors and wanted to attend medical school after her Army service. She had 500 hours of flying time, about 250 flights, considered on the high end… pic.twitter.com/NmFtS47vWk
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) February 1, 2025
Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, expressed condolences on X and stated, “Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short.”
There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board Flight 5342. Sixty-seven bodies were recovered from the Potomac River, with zero expectations of any survivors.
