Helicopter pilot in mid-air collision falsely named as transgender service member
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"The Blackhawk helicopter pilot involved in the Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport #planecrash has been identified as transgender military pilot Jo Ellis," said a January 31, 2025 X post that was later retracted.
"Reports indicate Ellis attempted to take out three other passenger planes before colliding midair with American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac. Just one day before the disaster, Ellis appeared on the Michael Smerconish podcast, slamming Trump's military trans ban."
While some posts were corrected or deleted, similar posts spread on Threads, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
The reports followed a disaster over the Potomac River that separates Washington DC and Virginia on January 29 that President Donald Trump blamed on diversity and inclusion programs. The commander-in-chief also signed an executive order to remove transgender people from the military (archived here).
American Airlines reported that 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard, while three US Army personnel were on the helicopter, according to a military official.
Authorities said they do not expect any survivors and are working to recover 67 bodies from the river.
The plane was carrying athletes and coaches from the elite figure skating world, including former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
But claims Ellis was the helicopter pilot are false.
A Facebook account for Jo Ellis, which includes images of her in uniform, posted a video saying she was "alive and well" on January 31.
Ellis described herself as a "Blackhawk pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard" and said: "I understand some people have associated me with the crash in DC and that is false."
Another statement shared on the account calls the claims "insulting" to the victims (archived here).
Ellis, on January 28, had posted a statement on the website Smerconish.com (archived here) describing her background and service in Iraq and elsewhere, and denouncing the president's effort to remove transgender service members.
One of the X users initially posting about Ellis retracted the claim, stating: "UPDATE: I've received conclusive information from a reputable source confirming that the Blackhawk pilot was not Joe Ellis."
Who was onboard the Blackhawk?
The Department of Defense confirmed the names of two of the pilots, after other public officials had discussed them.
On January 30, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp posted condolences on X "to the families and friends of Ryan O'Hara and Sam Lilley" saying: "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" (archived here).
Local media reported that O'Hara was the crew chief of the UH-60, while Lilley's father Timothy told Fox 5 Atlanta his son Sam was one of the pilots of the American Airlines plane.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves posted on X that "Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves" was among those killed in the accident (archived here). A separate statement was posted by Carrie Eaves on January 30, saying her husband was among the victims.
The Pentagon statement said the name of the third pilot was not immediately released "at the request of the family."
This article was update to include a statement from the Pentagon.January 31, 2025 This article was update to include a statement from the Pentagon.
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